Need You Now
by EmLovesYouu
Summary: Booth & Brennan AU/high school fic - "...and dad says chivalry is dead." "Well, I think chivalry is still very much alive," he said, smiling that smile again.
1. Chivalry

**So, I decided to start another multi-chapter fic. I know, wow, I've updated something two days in a row. This is an AU Booth & Brennan story inspired by the song 'Need You Now' by Lady Antebellum, though that part will come in a little later.**

**Enjoy!**

_**Need You Now – Lady Antebellum**_

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone_

_And I need you now,_

_I said I wouldn't call, but I'm a little drunk_

_And I need you now,_

_And I don't know how I can do without_

_I just need you now._

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Sitting in her room, 15-year-old Temperance Brennan sat at her desk doing revision for her biology exam the day after tomorrow. Glancing at her clock, she realised the time and gathered her books in her bag, throwing it over her shoulder. Hurrying down the stairs two at a time, she called out 'bye' as she practically ran out the front door.

Being a Sunday, Temperance didn't normally have anything on. Though, today, she had to drop by her friend Angela's house to pick up her pet dog, Murray, whom she'd be petsitting for the next few days while Angela went to Miami with her parents. The streets weren't too busy, probably because it was 11:00 on a Sunday morning. She also needed to return Angela's biology book; she had been borrowing it as hers was set on fire after her lab-partner, Jack, tried to put out the Bunsen burner with her text book.

"Hey, Tempe. Come on in," Angela's dad greeted her when he answered the door, then calling out, "Ange! Tempe's here!"

The sound of hurried footsteps became more pronounced when Temperance saw Angela's feet appear at the top of the staircase.

"Hey, Tempe," Ange said, giving her a quick hug.

Following her through to the back patio, Tempe was bombarded by the size of the no longer small Golden Retriever.

"Wow, Ange! He sure has grown," she said utterly shocked.

"Oh, yeah, he's going on 40 kg now," Ange said almost proudly.

"here's you biology book back. Thanks for that," Tempe said as she removed the folder from her bag.

"Oh, please don't give it back. I _hate_ biology. Please, keep it, you'd be doing me a favour," she said, cringing at the thought of enzymes and body cells.

"You're sure?" she asked.

Angela nodded quickly.

"Well, Tempe, you've already got his food and bed at your place. So, you just need his lead and Murray himself," Angela said, clipping the lead onto the loop on his collar. "Have fun with him. See you Thursday, Tempe."

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Tempe casually strolled back home, content she didn't have any deadlines to be anywhere. Passing St. Christopher's Church, she noticed the last few people leaving the hall after their usual Sunday morning service. Distracted by the church's enormous stained-glass windows, Tempe's grip on Murray's lead loosened and left her unable to hold on when he bolted after a flock of birds. Stumbling over her won feet a little, Tempe tried to chase after him, though there really was not point as Murray ran numerous times faster than her.

She muttered quietly to herself, "damn it!" just as a guy who looked to be a few years older than her ran past and said, "s'okay, I'll catch him."

Watching as he chased after Angela's dog, Tempe couldn't help but admire him. Within less than a minute, he'd caught onto the end of Murray's lead and brought him to a halt. He jogged back, the dog keep pace with him, to where she was standing, still dumbfounded at how easily he had caught him.

"here you go," he said, passing her the lead, "he's a fast one, he is. Strong too."

"Yeah, he's fast. Too fast for me," she sighed, "thankyou…."

"Booth," he piped up, sticking out his hand.

"Temperance," she replied, shaking his hand, "or Tempe, either is fine."

"Temperance…. That's nice," he said, wearing a smile that almost made her heart melt the moment it appeared.

"It was very kind of you to chase after him for me," she acknowledged, still a little puffed out from her 'attempt' at catching Murray, "and my dad says chivalry is dead."

"Well, I think chivalry is very much alive," he said, smiling that smile again. "Where're you headed?"

"Home. Just down the road from the supermarket," I explained, then asked hopefully, "and you?"

"Fancy that, I'm actually heading down to the shops. Mind if I tag along with you?"

"I wouldn't mind at all. Murray here isn't a very good conversationalist," Tempe smiled, as they set off walking together.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, neither really wanting to speak first.

"So, you're in high school?" Booth eventually piped up.

"Yeah, Year 10. And you?" she enquired, doubting he would still be at school, if his appearance was anything to go by.

"Nah, I finished school last year; only just," he chuckled, and she couldn't help but chuckle a little herself. "I was gonna join the army, but my Pops told me to wait a couple of years, and like they say, 'Pop's know best'."

"I'm going to be a scientist," Tempe said simply.

"A scientist?" Booth asked, :You don't seem like the sciency type. What kind of scientist?"

Pondering that for a moment, Tempe's mind wandered; she'd never actually thought about what _kind_ of scientist before, she'd just been thinking 'scientist'. "I haven't quite got that far yet."

Reaching the T-Intersection where they must part ways, Tempe turned to Booth and said, "well, I gotta turn off here."

Stopping beside her, Booth said, "nice meeting you, Temperance."

"You too, Booth," she smiled, wishing she had an excuse to walk with him a little longer.

"I'll see you 'round sometime, then?" he asked, and when she nodded, he picked up her left hand and kissed the top of it with a feather-light touch," just remember, chivalry will _never_ be dead, Temperance."

And with that, he turned on his heel and walked the opposite way.

Feeling as though her heart was about to burst with happiness, Tempe set off home, with a slight skip in her step.

As Booth approached the supermarket, he wondered why he'd made up a story about needing to go to the shops just to get to know her a little. It was stupid really, because he didn't have any money to spend and he lived on the complete opposite side of town.

_Oh, well. It was worth it_, he thought, smiling, as he began to walk home.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**There you go, that's the first chapter. Please review and let me know what you thought and if you want me to continue.**

**And about Tempe being in Year 10, I'm Aussie and I don't know how the American education system works.**

**Also, the beautiful Golden Retriever, Murray, is based on my own dog, who's so adorable.**

**Like I said, I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	2. An Annoying Disturbance

**Wow, I've been so good at updating this week.**

**Jess and I just got Twitter; it is very confusing.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

"Argh, Russ, could you please stop being annoying? I am _trying _to study," Tempe said, annoyed at the constant stream of comments coming from Russ. "Never mind, I'll go to the library."

The library was a fifteen-minute walk from home; which may as well have been double, when you're carrying a bag full of workbooks on your back. Luckily for Tempe, being a Saturday, the library was quiet. The majority of students come on weeknight after school, not willing to give up their weekends. Finding a table in the back corner, Tempe emptied her back of schoolwork and spread it out across the table.

After a few minutes, she finally got into her study and was working at a steady pace, when voices from a few shelves down disrupted her.

"Nah, mate, I ain't doing it," the first voice spoke, in a soft whisper.

"C'mon, Seel, it's just your little bro, he won't care," a second much deeper voice spoke.

"He will care," the first voice spoke again, sounding somewhat familiar.

"But, this isn't just a race, this is a _marathon!_ Man, we can't miss this," the second voice pleaded again.

Becoming fed up with the two boys immature bickering, in a library of all places, Tempe pushed back in her chair and got to her feet. Peering down each shelf as she walked, she stopped at the third one down to see two quite tall boys; one facing her and the other with only his back visible.

"Excuse me?" Tempe asked, interrupting their argument, "if you hadn't noticed, this is a library, and people come here to study. And people like you two bickering away loudly makes that a very difficult task. Could you please quiet dow -" She stopped short of herself as the boy who had his back to her turned around.

"Temperance?" he asked surprised and looking slightly embarrassed.

"Booth?" Tempe replied, shocked at his identity.

"You _know_ her?" Booth's friend asked mouth slightly ajar.

"Yeah, we met just last week."

"Well, Seel, I gotta run," his friend said, patting him on the shoulder, "think about it."

And with that he stalked off.

Standing there for a few awkward moments, Temperance decided to walk back to her table to resume studying.

"Hey, Temperance," he called out, following her, "sorry about the noise, my mate wants me to go to this thing in a few weeks time but I've already said I'd take my little brother to his soccer tournament that day."

"You have a brother?" she enquired, sitting down.

"Yeah, Jared, he's a good kid."

"May I ask you a question?" Tempe asked, looking up at him as he sat in the seat next to her.

He nodded.

"Why did your friend call you 'Seel'?"

"Oh," Booth chuckled, "that's my name. Well, Seeley, actually. But I mostly go by my last name; Booth."

"Booth. Seeley," she tried the words out on her tongue. "I think I prefer Booth."

Her mind completely going off her Health revision, they began talking. They talked about what they'd been up to. They talked about both their brothers, discussing how often they got on their nerves. Tempe talked about her school and things she had going on there, while Booth talked about struggling to find a part-time job.

"So, what's incidence?" Booth randomly questioned.

"Pardon?" Tempe replied, confused.

Pointing to a paragraph in her Health textbook, Booth asked again, "what's incidence?"

"Oh," she said, realising what he was referring to. "Incidence is the number of new cases of a disease or disability in a population."

"Nice," he said simply, looking utterly confused at what she'd said. He then looked at his watch and his brow furrowed. "Hey, I actually have to go now."

"Okay, I guess I'll see you around, then?" Tempe asked hopefully.

"Yeah, hey how 'bout we go to the park or something tomorrow? You can bring that dog of yours. I finish church at 1:30, so we could meet at about…. Noon?"

"Sure, I'd like that," she accepted.

"Well, okay, bye," he said, smiling as he walked out of the building.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Later that night, after dinner, Tempe was sitting on the couch watching TV.

"So, Tempe, what did you get up to this afternoon?" her dad, Max, asked her.

She shrugged, "not much. I went to the library to study. I saw a friend there. That's about all."

Russ looked confused, "but isn't Angela away with her parents?"

"Yes, but today she was at home. I do have more than one friend you know," Tempe retaliated, slightly offended.

"Who was it then?" Max asked, wanting to know what his daughter was up to.

"His name's Seeley," she replied simply.

"_Seeley?_ What sort of a name is _Seeley?_" Russ asked, minor amusement in his tone.

"A nice one," Tempe said truthfully, while Max seemed concerned and Russ gave her a funny look. "Well, I have homework to do, goodni-"

"Why are you doing homework on a Saturday night? On weekends you're supposed to chill out and have fun?" Russ asked, gobsmacked at the thought of _wanting_ to do homework.

"I have a lot to get done, and I have plans tomorrow," she started, but at the raising of her dad and brother's eyebrows, she added, "I'm taking Murray for a walk. Goodnight."

She didn't stop to see their expressions; just walked up to her room.

She slept soundly that night, knowing she had something to look forward to.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**There's another chapter. This one was kind of a filler chapter I just had to put in before some other stuff happens. I'd like to say thanks for all the reviews and alerts I got for the first chapter; they really do mean so much. Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	3. Runaway

**Okay, so right now, I am **_**very**_** pissed off. The other day when I was at the shops, I bought this can of soup that looked **_**reaaally**_** good, and I was planning on having it for dinner tonight. So I get home from dancing all excited and make my soup – and it tastes like crap! So annoyed!**

**Anyway, back to the story. I'd like to thank everyone for all the reviews and alerts and favourites and reviews – they mean so much. Here's the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

"I have a present for you," a voice said from behind her, making her flinch.

She turned around and there stood Seeley Booth, a plastic bag in one hand and a single daffodil in the other. Tilting her head sideways, Tempe smiled at him as he passed the flower to her. Inhaling the flower's sweet scent, she sat down next to him, against the trunk of the hug oak tree.

"What've you got in that bag?" Tempe questioned.

"I have," Booth smiled, untying the knot, "fish and chips."

"Ooh, thankyou. I was actually starting to think that I should've eaten before I came, but it turns out it didn't matter."

Taking out two plastic plates and the package of food, he spread it out between them; keeping it away from Murray who was sitting on Tempe's other side.

They ate in silence for the majority of the time. Booth sat watching Tempe, as she watched the birds chirping away in the trees and the ducks swimming with their ducklings in the lake. He watched her hair as it moved in and out of the sun, shimmering in different lights.

"Mmm, that was good," Booth sighed satisfactorily.

"It was," Tempe agreed, "it's been a while since I've had fish and chips."

Getting to his feet, Booth walked over to Murray and unclipped his lead from his collar. Whistling, he jogged around the park trying to find a stick. Once he found a stick sufficient enough for Murray, they began to play fetch. Running back and forth in front of her, Tempe watched the two, both clearly enjoying themselves. Throwing the stick too far for Murray to know where it was, Booth had to run a good length of the park to pick it up again. Though the time in which he was gone was short, it was enough for Murray to decide to take a run for it, chasing a bunch of wading birds.

"Murray!" Tempe called, hoping they wouldn't have to chase after him; again.

No such luck.

He turned and looked at her, with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, before running in the opposite direction. Jumping up, Tempe began to run after Murray, careful not to lose sight of him. Turning around, to find both Murray and Tempe gone, Booth was momentarily bemused. It was then he noticed them a little way off in the distance.

Soon catching up with Tempe, Booth put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let me get him, Temperance," he puffed."

"No," she shook her head determinedly, "I can't let you do it again. I'll get him."

"Fine, we'll both go. But the first to him wins!" Booth called as he set off with a head start a few moments before Tempe had registered what had happened.

"Not fair, Booth!"

They both ran to the extreme, as fast as they could. Dodging trees and other dogs and picnicking families. The ground in this end of the park was quite wet, as it was closer to the lake and rained more frequently.

Tempe almost lost her footing a couple of times, and Booth couldn't help but snicker at her clumsiness when she did so. At one point they were very nearing each other and Booth just suddenly halted. After noticing this, Tempe tried to stop next to his, but skidded on the muddy grass. Reaching out to prevent her from falling, Booth unintentionally brought himself down with her, sliding along the cold, brown sludge.

"Damn it," Booth muttered, though could no longer stay annoyed when he turned over to see Tempe lying in the mud next to him, laughing to herself. "What're you laughing at?" he said jokingly.

Between laughter, she managed to say, "you're all – covered in – in mud."

"Have you recently looked at _yourself_, Temperance?" he asked, admiring how beautiful she could look, even though she was half covered in mud and grass.

"I happen to think that I pull the 'mud look' off quite well, thank you," she said stubbornly.

"Yeah," Booth sighed, then lowered his voice almost to a whisper, "you do."

Tempe raised her eyes to look in his, as he reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, leaving his hand resting against her cheek.

In that moment, it was as though they weren't covered in mud in the middle of a public park. Tempe felt the breath whoosh out of her when their eyes met and she saw the desire in his. Her cheek was flushed beneath his hand, and she couldn't help but welcome their new found closeness. Her eyes fluttered a little as they unconsciously leant into each other and she felt his hot breath against her fair skin –

"Murray!" Tempe complained when the dog came between them and began licking the mud off her hand. _Damned dog_, Tempe thought to herself as her and Booth got to their feet.

"We're a mess," Booth laughed, looking at the two of them.

"Yeah," she nodded, "you could say that."

"Do you need to get cleaned up before you go home?" Booth enquired.

She shook her head, "nah, Mum, Dad and Russ are out 'til later tonight. You?"

"No one will care; they'll probably just think I've been out playing ball or something," Booth said.

"Well, I should probably get this one home," he said, nodding toward Murray. "I had a really great time today. Even though you made me fall in the mud."

"Hey, you were going to fall in the mud even if I hadn't tried to grab you; I would call what I did a heroic act, risking my cleanliness to make sure you didn't get covered in mud," Booth retaliated lightheartedly.

"It may have been heroic, but it still didn't work very well," Tempe pointed out.

"At least I tried," Booth resigned. "I had a great day too. We should do it again."

"We should," was all Tempe said before turning away; biting her lip, trying to hide her smile.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**I hope you liked it; I really loved writing this chapter. Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	4. Such A Tease

**Sorry about the long wait, I was actually at my Dad's house for the past week and forgot to bring my laptop with me. **

**Being Australian sometimes really does suck; especially when almost every other country in the world gets to see the Season 6 premiere, but not here.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

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"Hey, Ange," Jack Hodgins asked quietly across the science lab. Angela raised her head slightly, glancing over at him, trying not to attract Mr Blair's attention; he'd already told her off four times and been given one detention in the past three days for 'interrupting his lesson'. "Do you know what's up with Tempe?"

She took a look at her friend who appeared to just be paying attention to what the teacher was saying.

"What do you mean?" Angela asked, confused at what Jack was saying.

"She just seems out of it. I'm talking to her and she's acting distant. She didn't even tell me off when I started to burn the end of my ballpoint in the Bunsen burner flame," Jack explained, making good use of the chance at having a conversation with her, putting on his nicest smile.

"I honestly have no idea, Jack. Sorry," she shrugged.

Thinking of everything _but _10th Grade science, Tempe gazed at the whiteboard as though in a trance. A trance that was broken when an annoyingly consistent nudge in her side began to hurt.

"What?" she asked frustrated, looking at her lab partner's shocked expression.

Pushing back in his chair, Jack stood and said quite audibly, "oh, praise the Lord!"

The class erupted with laughter at quirky Jack's odd outburst, but were silenced by Mr Blair saying, "Jack Hodgins, you can either sit down and stop talking or get out of my class."

Jack sat down sheepishly, slipping in a quick smile at Angela and remained silent.

Looking across at him, Tempe muttered, "You're weird."

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

"Fancy meeting you here," a familiar voice behind her exclaimed.

Tempe turned around to find one, Seeley Booth, standing mere metres from her. His creased jeans and crinkled shirt indicated his inability with the use of an iron, and his uneven hiar suggested the same about a hairbrush.

"I could say the same about you, though it shouldn't be that much of a shock to find me here, considering this is my school," she said, a smile toying at her lips. "How'd you find me?"

"Like you said, this is your school. Which I gathered form the fact that the next closest school is on the other side of town, making this one the closest to your place," he explained, obviously proud of his discovery. "How are you, Temperance?"

"I'm quite well, and yourself?" she asked politely.

"Yeah, I'm good thanks," he replied, a little distracted by something behind her. "Why is that girl looking at me weirdly?"

Turning to follow his line of sight, Tempe spotted Angela, rooted to the spot about ten metres away. Books bundled in her arms; she gazed at them, fascinated yet subtle; or as subtle as Ange could be.

"Oh, that's my friend, Angela. She can be a little over the top sometimes. _And_ she has a very high interest in boys," Tempe said, catching Ange's eye by waving; Angela quickly gathered her thoughts and kept moving.

"Well, I don't know about her, but that curly-headed guy over there, sure as hell is interested in her."

Looking around, she spotted who he was referring to. "Jack? No way."

"Uh, yes way!" Booth replied. "Let me walk you home."

Hitching her bag onto her shoulder, Tempe began to walk next to him. Once they were off the main road and dawdling along a side street, he began to ask her about her day. In amongst small conversation, unconsciously their hands had gone from gently brushing against each other as their arms swung, to being laced together between them. It wasn't until he squeezed her hand that she'd realised. And she didn't care; it felt so natural and so….nice.

"How's Murray going?" Booth asked.

"Oh, he is actually Angela's dog. I was only taking care of him while she was away with her parents. Seeing as she is back now, I am no longer taking care of him," Tempe explained.

"Okay. Well, you know, without Murray here to get in the way we could….if you wanted to, that it….finish what we never really started," he suggested, smiling charmingly at her as he released his hold on her hand and stood to face her.

"What do you -" her voice caught in her throat as he backed her up against a large tree beside the footpath, one hand placed beside her head and the other gently brushing across her slightly flushed cheek.

He was so close to her she could now feel his hot breath on her cheeks. Her jagged breathing made her chest rise and fall much faster. She couldn't help but stand there frozen as his head lowered to hers, and both their eyes fluttered closed in unison. It was as though she was holding her breath, in that moment, waiting for the feel of his lips on hers. The everyday noises around her were blocked out. The chirping birds in the tree she stood against; the sound of cars going up and down the main road adjacent to this one; Mr Morrison mowing his front lawn a few doors down; the white Maltese across the road barking at the neighbour's tabby cat. She could only hear her own breathing, until his lips brushed against hers.

The touch was feather light though it felt so much more than that. She breathed in his scent as his lips pressed into hers and then before she could register it happening, he had pulled away and took her hand in his.

It took Tempe a moment to come back to reality and she then said, "Booth, that is so not fair. You're a tease."

He shrugged slightly, flashing her a smiling, "oh well. Maybe one day, if you're lucky, I may not tease you so much."

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**There's the end of this chapter. I'll try to update sooner, and being on holidays, I will have extra time to do so. Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	5. Labels

**Wow, I'm updating again! **

**I think I may die if Collingwood win.**

**The part in italics is in the past.**

**Enjoy!**

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Stopping just outside her letterbox and leaning against it, Tempe turned Booth to face her and took his other hand in hers.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" she asked, quietly as if embarrassed.

"Only if you want to," Booth replied, squeezing her hands.

"I do," she said, looking up at him as he smiled down at her.

"Then you will," Booth said simply, leaning in to press a soft kiss upon her cheek, and walking away.

Tempe watched his figure until it disappeared around the corner, before retreating into the house.

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For the rest of the week, except on Wednesday when he had to take his brother to soccer, Booth met Tempe outside school at the end of the day.

When the bell rang at the end of her last period on Friday, Tempe gathered her books into her bag quickly as she left the room. Seeing Booth across the yard, she smiled unknowingly, reaching her hand out to take his as she approached him. His warm hand encased hers as they began to walk, Tempe leaning into his side as he dropped a kiss to her temple.

"_Tempe, is that ruggedly handsome guy you walk home with your boyfriend?" Ange asked randomly during English on Friday morning._

"_Pardon?" Tempe asked, only tuning in when the word 'boyfriend' was said._

"_That guy, the one you walk home with, is he your boyfriend?" she stated again._

"_No. We're just friends," she replied, honestly baffled by what to say._

_Ange cocked an eyebrow at her and said, "well, I heard from Jackson, who heard from Teghan, who got told by Patrick that when he was at his Uncle's house the other day after school, he saw you and your 'not-boyfriend' making out against a tree." When Tempe didn't reply , Ange offered, "so, did you?"_

"_No, I did not make out with Booth against a tree," she said honestly._

"Booth_? So that's his name, huh? So, if you weren't making out, what were you doing against the tree?" Angela leant in closer, waiting to hear the gossip._

_Feeling a blush creeping up her neck at the memory, she stumbled over her words as she tried to come up with a quick excuse, "I – uh – I simply tripped and – uh – fell back against a tree." Knowing it sounded as stupid as she thought, she left it at that._

"_Bullshit, Tempe. I'll let you pass on this one, but next time, you're giving me my fair share of the gossip."_

"Uh, Booth?" Tempe began nervously.

"Yeah, Temperance," he replied, the sound of her name rolling off his tongue sending a shiver down her spine.

"Well, I was just wondering. This conversation I had with Ange at school today got me wondering and I was just wondering if – well, um – am I your girlfriend?" she spluttered, feeling like an absolute idiot and having a sudden urge to hide her face from him.

"The way I see it, I don't want you going out and seeing other people, and I'm sure not going to see anyone _but_ you. If we were to label it, then I guess, yeah, you're my girlfriend," he said, smiling at the idea, then adding, "if that's okay with you, I mean."

Sighing with relief, she let her mouth grow into a grin as she said, "that's fine with me."

Reaching her house and feeling a little more confident, Tempe asked, "do you want to come in?"

"Are you sure?" he asked, not wanting to push her too far.

"Yeah. Mum's at work, and Dad and Russ will be doing their own thing. Come on, it's cold out here," she said, tugging on his hand impatiently.

As she opened the door, she let go of his hand, and let him go in before her. Looking around, he took in the house. The entrance hall had picture frames covering one wall; a wedding photo, a young Russ and Temperance playing at some beach, a few random school portraits, and photos of the kids blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. She led him down the hall and turned left into the living area. The two small couches were faded from wear and the same with the dining table chairs. A man with slightly graying hair sat on the couch watching the afternoon news; two fatalities from a bus and car collision; and Russ was making a toasted sandwich in the kitchen to his right.

"Dad, Russ," Tempe said, successfully getting their attention. "This is my friend, Seeley. Booth, this is my brother, Russ, and my dad, Max."

"Hey, Seeley," they both replied in unison, Max's brow slightly furrowed, and returned to what they were previously doing.

Making her way up the stairs, Tempe searched for Booth's hand with hers, entwining their fingers together, hiding it from the view of her father and brother until they made it to the second floor.

Entering the second room on the left, she dumped her bag next the door and kicked off her shoes.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Booth sat against the edge of her bed. When Tempe sat on her desk chair and moved it over to her bed and leant against the end of the bed head, Booth relaxed a little and found himself leaning back on the bed. Resting her head on her hands, she began light conversation, picking up where they'd finished before they'd come inside.

"Tempe," Max called from downstairs."

Getting to her feet and leaning against the doorframe, she called back, "yeah?"

"I'm just going to the shops, I'll be back soon."

"Okay," she said, reentering her room again.

Walking past her bed, Tempe's breath rushed out of her when an arm snaked around her waist and pulled her to the bed next to Booth.

Rolling over to face him, Tempe couldn't help but smile at Booth.

"Hey, I was wondering," she began, her breath catching when his hand reached out the brush her hair out of her face and then grab hold of her hand. "Are you still a tease?"

"When was I a tease in the first place?" he said, playing dumb.

All she did was raise an eyebrow at him and he said, "oh, I remember now. Why do you ask?"

"Because," she sighed, "the waiting is really getting on my nerves."

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**That's the end of this chapter.**

**GO SAINTS!**

**Please review and let me know what you thought. If you do, I might update sooner.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	6. Close

**Look, another chapter! I am speedygonzalis (I know, it's not a word) this week. Oh my God, a draw! The AFL final was a DRAW! Oh, well, hopefully the Saints smash the Pies next weekend.**

**Enjoy!**

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"_The waiting is getting on my nerves…."_

"Is it, now?" he cocked his head to the side and grinned.

"Yes," Tempe swallowed, "it really is. Ever since Monday."

Nodding but not replying, Booth concentrated on her face as he twirled a strand of hair around his finger.

"You never answered my question," Tempe reminded him. "Are you still a tease?"

"Hmm…. I don't know. You tell me," he said, toying with her.

"How on earth could I know that? That's something _you_ decide," she said, moving around to get in a more comfortable position. "It's not something I can tell just by looking at you."

"Good point. Maybe, I'll just have to show you," Booth whispered as he brushed her fringe aside and pressed his lips softly to her forehead.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Tempe stuttered.

"Well," Booth started, moving the both of them so he was hovering just above her. Lacing their fingers together, Booth continued, "Just think about it. If I _were_ a tease, would I do this?"

Lowering his head, Booth presses kisses, first on her hand, and then up her arm; goose bumps appearing as his feather-light touch travelled along her pale skin.

"I-I don't know. I'm not a tease, so I don't have any first-hand knowledge to go by," Tempe unsuccessfully tried to steady her breathing.

"How about this?" he asked seductively, moving her hair away from her neck, peppering small kisses down and across her collarbone.

"You are a tease, Seeley Booth," she complained. "You are still making me wait, and all – all _this_ – is just teasing me further."

Moving from her neck to her jaw line and kissing his way up to her ear, he whispered against her skin, "did you ever stop and think, Temperance, that maybe the wait will be worth it?" Travelling up the other side of her jaw, Booth smiled at the sound of her uneven breathing and rise and fall of her chest.

"I guess I didn't think of that, no," Tempe admitted, closing her eyes as his lips brushed the corner of hers. And then the other corner.

He was so close when he spoke, that his lips grazed hers, "have you come to a conclusion yet? Have you decided whether or not I'm a tease?"

Her hot breath mingled with his, she replied, "I guess it depends on what you do next."

Booth's lips finally met with hers, though it was hesitant at first, with the meeting of their lips came fireworks. Feeling her sigh beneath him was all Booth needed. His lips pressed harder against hers and his free hand found its way underneath Tempe's hair. There was no air space between them now, as they held each other as close as they could. Their linked hands moved up next to their head, resting against the pillow. As mouths opened and legs tangled and hair got mussed up, things heightened and became more heated. For Tempe, everything seemed upside and back to front. When air became a necessity and they briefly broke apart, she discovered it was not oxygen she needed, but Booth himself; his presence, his touch, his kiss.

"I made up my mind," she whispered hoarsely against his ever-moving lips.

"About what?" he replied, his lips grazing her jaw with light kisses.

Sighing and pulling his mouth back to hers for a moment, she said briefly, "you're not a tease."

"Glad you think so," he murmured, a smirk growing on his face. "Told you so."

The sound of hurried footsteps up the stairs made them jump apart, though they kept their fingers entwined on the pillow. Holding her breath, Tempe exhaled when the steps faded as, Russ presumably, walked down the other end of the hall to the study.

"That was close," Booth whispered, hearing his own heartbeat in his ears from the nervousness of wondering what would happen if Russ and Max found out what they'd just been doing.

"Yeah," Tempe whispered back, rubbing her thumb back and forth along the side of Booth's hand. "This is nice."

Nodding his agreement, Booth kissed her on the cheek and said, "I could get used to this."

"Me too, Booth, me too. Though on Monday I am leaving for school camp and I'll be gone for two weeks," she sighed.

"That's a shame."

Laying there for quite a while in silence, Booth came up with an idea, "how about, when you get back from camp, I'll meet you there and walk you back home; do a little catching up?"

"I'd like that, very much," Tempe replied, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

"I should probably get going," Booth said getting to his feet and bringing her up with him. "And I'm not going to be able to see you until you get back from camp, 'cause I'm going away with Pops and Jared for the weekend."

"I'll miss you," Tempe mumbled into his chest.

At her inaudible statement, Booth asked, "What was that?"

"I said 'I'll miss you'," she repeated, lifting her chest to look at him.

"I will too."

Walking him out to the front yard, Tempe shut the front door behind them.

"Bye," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist, as hers went around his shoulders, and he captured her lips in the last kiss they would share for over two weeks.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

"Tempe," Max called from the living room when she reentered the house. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Following along the hall to the living room, she said, "yeah, Dad?"

"Your friend, Seeley," he began, "is he more than a friend?"

Blushing a little, she replied, not bothering to lie, "he could be."

"Tempe, I'm only saying this because it's in your best interest, but I think he may be a little too old for you."

Fuming, she replied, "he's not even three years older. I'm almost an adult, Dad, you can't control me forever. I saw it the moment I introduced you to him, you didn't like him. But you're not going to like _any_ boy I bring home, simply due to the fact that _they're a boy_. I'm going to fix myself some dinner and do some homework. Goodnight."

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**There you go, another chapter. I hate to leave the chapter on a bad note, but yeah, it had to happen.**

**Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	7. Camp: Part I

**So, this chapter would've been up earlier, but my laptop charger decided to stop working just as my laptop died; which is where I had written this. And my sister broke her laptop, so she was on the home computer the WHOLE day; I'm not actually kidding you. But here we are.**

**Enjoy!**

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**DAY ONE:**

If there was one thing Tempe hated, it was early mornings. Particularly mornings when she was up even before the sun had begun its ascent into the sky. Stumbling out of bed, eyes stuck together with sleep, she went about her morning routine as if she was sleepwalking. She took a shower, pulled on the first clothes she could find and ate a bowl of cereal; the only noise in the house, her chewing. Double checking she had packed everything she would need, she sat at the kitchen bench and waited for her mum to find her shoes.

"Bye, Mum," Tempe said, leaning across to kiss her cheek before getting out of the car.

"Sweetie, you're here!" Angela called from her spot on the other side of the car park.

"Hey, Ange," Tempe mumbled as Angela hugged her. "How is it possible for you to be so articulate at this hour?" Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she sat next to Ange on her suitcase.

"I'm excited!" Angela exclaimed. "School camp is a means of being excited!" Angela began rambling about why she was excited; camp food ("I _love_ camp food") and staying up late, talking about boys presumably. She began to talk, and then she didn't stop.

**DAY THREE:**

Feeling her eyes closing again, Tempe jerked back to consciousness. She was literally falling asleep at the breakfast table.

"Tempe, are you okay?" Diana, who was currently sitting next to her, asked her a little louder than a whisper. "You're falling asleep right over your breakfast. A bit tired, huh?"

"Tired is an understatement," Tempe replied, turning her attention to the teachers and camp instructors telling them what activities they'd be taking part in; though the majority of it went right over her head. Only words like 'safety' and 'lunch break' and 'groups' registering in her mind.

"Why are you so tired? The camp activities haven't been _that_ strenuous," Diana said, leaning over to her.

"Somebody," Tempe began, turning to stare at Angela, "has been up the past two night, on her phone, giggling."

"Texting someone and _giggling_? Who was she texting?" Diana leaned in further.

"No idea," Tempe whispered, though she knew exactly who it had been. Glancing over at a smiling Angela, she followed her line of sight to an equally smiling Jack.

**DAY FOUR:**

Walking along the footpath, his feet dragging on the ground a little, Booth dug his hands into his pockets. What he was doing really had to be one of the stupidest things he'd done. He'd been a jock in high school, he'd done some pretty stupid things. She'd only been gone less than a week; which wasn't long; he'd gone 18 and a half years not seeing her. Walking to her school, as he'd done the whole week previous to walk her home, was stupid. He knew she wouldn't be there; she was off on camp being adventurous. He waited until the last dribs and drabs of students had left the school grounds, he turned around and began the walk home; alone. Taking out his phone, he typed in the message and hit send:

_**How's camp going? Angela driving you crazy yet?**_

Replacing his phone in his pocket, he thought about the numerous times in the past few days when he'd tried to come up with a reason to text her.

**DAY SIX:**

Finally finding a spot on the top of the hill where she could get reception, Tempe smiled as she noticed a message from Booth in her inbox. Her smile grew even wider after reading it. Quickly replying before she lost the little reception she had found, she hit send:

_**Camp's good. I'm only a little bit crazy. I miss you.**_

She swallowed after the message had gone, wondering what he would think of her final three words; after all, it hadn't even been a week.

**DAY SEVEN:**

"Do you miss him?" Angela spoke from her bed on the other side of the room.

"Do I miss who?" Tempe replied, confused by her question.

"_Booth_," Angela teased, "you know, that lovely piece of meat who walked you home everyday last week?"

Correcting her, she said, "he didn't walk me home on Wednesday; he had to take his brother to soccer."

Silence fell over the room, but only for a moment until Angela pointed out, "you never answered my question. Do you miss him?"

"Yeah," Tempe sighed. "What about you? What's going on with you and Jack?" She waited for Angela to tell her off for trying to change the subject.

She didn't.

"Nothing really; at the moment," Ange said, then added excitedly, "_though_, he did kiss me the other day."

"Ange! Why didn't you tell me?" Tempe said, mocking hurt.

"I just – you know – wanted to keep it a little private," she admitted. "So, has Booth kissed you yet?"

After hearing a muttered 'maybe' from across the room, "he _did_ kiss you against that tree, didn't he? Was it romantic and sweet and passionate?"

"No. That one was very tame. He was 'teasing' me," Tempe said, making quotation marks in the air, though Angela could not see them in the darkness.

"_That one?_ You mean he's kissed you more than _once_?" Ange exclaimed.

Blushing slightly at the memory, she replied, "yes, last Friday. When he came inside after walking me home... and we went up to my room." The last part was hardly audible, as Tempe had buried her face in her pillow, but Angela caught every word of it.

"So, Tempe," Angela began, "is he a good kisser?"

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**Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	8. Camp: Part II

**Here is the second half of the camp.**

**If you want, take a look at my new one-shot – 'Bickering Does Have It's Advantages'.**

**Enjoy!**

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**DAY EIGHT:**

It was as though Tempe and Angela's conversation the night before had been a metaphorical push. A push to be more open; more public. There are things that people will survive without seeing. For example; parents fighting; people getting hurt; two of your close friends making out. The last is the one Tempe had most recently been exposed to. Walking back to hers and Angela's cabin after the day's activities were finished, Tempe was not prepared for what she walked in on. Bodies splayed across the bed, the pair were too deeply involved in each other that they hadn't even noticed her open the door. Their heavy breathing and hurried kisses and wandering hands suggested they didn't want to be disturbed. Backing out of the door quietly, Tempe shut it quickly, breathing a sigh of relief, embarrassed at the situation she'd just escaped from.

"Oh, hey, Tempe," Diana called as she walked over to the eastern row of cabins. "Is Angela in there? I just need to quickly ask her something."

Freezing for a moment, Tempe replied, "Angela. Angela is, well, she is asleep. Big day and all."

"Asleep?" she questioned."

"Yes, She is very much asleep," Tempe clarified, waiting for Diana to walk out of sight before moving from in front of the door.

**DAY NINE:**

"I hate canoeing," Tempe complained, after they were told to change into clothes that could get dirty or wet.

Angela sighed as she pulled her friend out of their cabin, "It'll be fun. You'll see."

The water was a murky green; or maybe it was brown. Clumps of weed floated on the surface where the lake was shallower. You couldn't see more than half a metre beneath your canoe.

Learning to manoeuvre through buoys and other canoes proved to be quite difficult for Tempe and Angela. When both girls tried to paddle on the same side of the canoe, they somehow unbalanced themselves and managed to get flipped upside down in the water.

"Tempe! It's cold!" Angela complained, the moment her head came above the surface.  
And there's something touching my foot-"

"Ange, that's me," Tempe said, immediately calming Angela down a little. "_This_ is why I hate canoeing."

It was then proved that trying to get back in a flipped canoe is more difficult than paddling in one.

**DAY TEN:**

"Booth?" Jared called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, bud?" he called back.

Sitting down at the kitchen table next to his brother, Booth turned his attention to him. His homework spread out in front of him, Jared sat with his chin resting on his open palm, leaning on his elbow. His palm was pressed against his face in a way that squashed his cheek up towards his eye.

"Seel, did you break up with Tempe?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"Nah, mate. She's just on school camp for a couple of weeks," Booth said, watching as his little brother avoided eye contact. "Why?"

"She just, you know, hasn't been 'round in ages," he said, slightly mumbled, and you haven't been going out as much as you did,"

"I didn't mean, why you thought that. I meant, why did you want to know?"

"I like her. She's really smart," Jared said honestly, "she helped me with my maths homework the last time she came over."

"You do know I can help you with homework," Booth scoffed, dragging his chair next to Jared's. Reading through the start of the chapter, Booth said, "Linear equations. Linear Equations. Ermm... okay, sorry, but I really can't help you."

**DAY TWELVE:**

When Angela had asked her the other day if she missed Booth, Tempe had paused for a moment, needing to decide whether or not she missed him. The answer hadn't come to her instantly. Though, if Angela asked her that question now, the word 'yes' would slip out before she'd even thought the words. But Angela had higher priorities on her list than asking Tempe that. Higher priorities including Jack.

Tempe had never really been the type to get jealous; no, jealous isn't the word, envious. But seeing how happy Angela and Jack were in their new found romance had changed that. The sight of the pair constantly holding hands, sneaking in kisses here or there, made Brennan think back to Booth. She envied her friend for having Jack with her. Sure, Tempe had Booth, but he wasn't there. He wasn't there to run his fingertips lightly under her shirt, sending shivers down her spine. He wasn't there to kiss her instead of telling her to shut up. He wasn't there to make her smile and go weak at the knees just by looking at him. He wasn't there; but she so wished he was.

**DAY FOURTEEN:**

Home day. The day he had been looking forward to for two whole weeks. Tempe was coming back from camp today. That's why he leant against a tree opposite the school car park on a Sunday afternoon. He longed to see her face, hear her voice, feel her soft her between his fingers. That was all he could think about as he saw the school buses pull up. The students piled off; he noticed Angela and that curled-haired guy holding hands, he had been right; and smiled when he saw her disembark. He didn't go up to her straight away, firstly because everyone still had to collect their luggage, and secondly because he didn't want to embarrass her in front of her whole year level. Most of the students had their parents picking them up, though a few, like Tempe, were walking home. She walked out of the car park and had a look around, a sense of worry on her face. It disappeared when their eyes met; when her lips grew into a wide smile; when she picked up her pace to meet him halfway; when she threw her arms around his shoulders and brought her lips to his.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	9. Foreboding Night

**Here's the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Thinking back to earlier in the day, the smile on Tempe's face grew wider. The whole bus trip home she had been anxious; anxious to be home already. Sitting in the seats behind Jack and Anthony, she was reduced to have to listen to Anthony's regular monotone the entire drive, as Angela and Hodgins were too in love to do anything but hold hands on the windowsill between the two seats. The blessed feeling of seeing her school as they rounded the corner, was one that not many teenagers would experience. Everyone had already begun to leave and Tempe could not see Booth anywhere. That was until she left the car park and saw his beaming face from across the road.

The walk home was extended when Booth tugged her by her hand and detoured through a small park. The moment they were off the main road and in the privacy of the park, Booth leant down and captured Tempe's lips with his. She soon found herself with her back up against a tree, the scene feeling very much like de ja vu; if such a thing even existed.

"You're not going to tease me again, are you?" Tempe asked as he gazed down at her.

"Temperance," he began, brushing his thumb lightly over her cheek, "I haven't seen you in over two weeks. There is no chance of that happening." And then his lips were on hers again.

The sweet touch of his lips moving against hers was something she truly had missed.

There wasn't much talking on the way home, the pair sneaking kisses in behind fences and trees. She had not had many 'reunions', as such, but this had to be the sweetest of them all.

"I really did miss you," Booth whispered lightly in her ear, before pressing his lips to her temple and leaving her on her doorstep; aching for more.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

"Hey, Dad," Tempe called, "I'm back."

Max got up from his seat on the couch to hug Tempe, before sitting down at the table next to her.

"How was camp? I thought the bus was getting back at eleven?" Max asked, making Tempe look to the clock above the stove to see the time was 12:47.

"Oh, the bus was late. We had to detour," she quickly covered up. It wasn't entirely a lie; the bus was supposed to get back at 11:00 but arrived at 11:09, making it late. Also she _had_ made a detour of sorts. "Camp was good. Really fun. How about here?"

"Same old," Max said shrugging, then got up as if he suddenly remembered something. "You got a call from a... Jared Booth, asking if when you get back, you could help him with his maths again." Max finished reading the note off of a notepad and put it down on the bench. "Guessing you got over Seeley, then? Good for you, hun."

Appalled that her Dad would say such a thing, she replied, "no, I haven't. Jared happens to be Seeley's brother, who I helped with some difficult homework the last time I was over at their house. What is it that you have against him, Dad? He is nothing but polite to you."

Going a little red in the face, Max huffed, "oh, sorry. Nothing, I have nothing against him. He's just... a little old."

"He is _not_ too old for me, Dad," Tempe said, raising her voice just a tad. "I'm going to have a lie down."

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Furious at Max, Tempe didn't want to be around him any more than she needed to be. She'd quickly fixed up a sandwich and gone up to her room. She hadn't come out for dinner, answering that 'I'm not hungry' when Max had knocked on her door at 6:30.

It was getting on midnight, when the growls in her stomach became prominent enough to go down to the kitchen and make up for her missed dinner. Quietly opening her door and avoiding the two creaky stairs, she got to the kitchen without disturbing anyone. She looked through the pantry and the fridge until she'd found leftover macaroni and cheese that she then heated up in the microwave. Sitting on the lounge in the family room, her legs tucked beneath her, Tempe turned on the lamp beside her and began to feed her rumbling stomach.

It had been about fifteen minutes and her bowl was pretty much empty, when she heard it.

The snapping of a stick or a branch around the side of her house. She sat silently, not moving, wondering if she had imagined the noise. She waited for another few minutes, and heard nothing, and so began to eat again. Then she heard it again; much, much closer than the first. Reaching over quickly to the lamp, she clicked it off, leaving her in darkness, though that just amplified the fear that crept upon her. In this new found darkness, the sound of crunching on fallen autumn leaves was more pronounced.

It was silent then for quite a while, though Tempe refused to turn the light back on, too afraid to move. It seemed like she'd sat there for hours, waiting until the coast was clear, when she heard the scraping of something metal against window. She froze completely then, shutting her eyes violently, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She wanted to get up, to get Max, or Russ, but her fear had paralysed her. She was glued to the spot, in complete darkness, the sounds of a human moving around outside the window echoing in her ears at an ear-piercing volume.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**I realised when writing this chapter, that I hadn't left you guys on a cliff hanger yet. So, I wrote this.**

**New Bones episode, so good, totally hilarious.**

**Back to school tomorrow; back to early mornings :(**

**Please review and let me know what you think.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	10. Caught Out

**Here we are again. The response I got to the last chapter was amazing – so please keep it up. Again, I apologise for the cliff hanger. I just can't help myself.**

**Enjoy!**

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

As another crunch of a footstep echoed loudly in her ears, Tempe could've sworn her heart stopped beating for a moment; as scientifically impossible as that sounded. Slipping quietly from her position on the couch, becoming to anxious to stay still, Tempe crawled quickly behind the couch on the opposite side of the coffee table. Leaning her head back against the cool leather, she held her breath. Waiting for the next sound. Waiting for the intruder's next movement. Waiting for the impending attack.

A few tears silently slid down her cheeks as she heard the light impact of a body against the outside of the wall adjacent to her. For a moment it sounded like she was hearing knocking, though she ruled that out quickly. It was a completely stupid idea; why would an intruder knock? Finalising that she had imagined it, she curled up behind the couch until she heard it again. This time she definitely knew it was knocking.

There it was again.

"Temperance?" she heard through the darkness, and with those three syllables, a mountain of weight was lifted from her shoulders and a wave of relief washed over her.

Rushing over to the window, she placed her fingers on the handle and opened it up quietly; the cool breeze hitting her face.

He appeared right before her, a few leaves stuck in his hair and a scratch across his left cheek, with a huge smile on his face. This smile disappeared shortly after, when he noticed the state she was in; tears streaked down her face.

"God, Temperance, what's wrong?" he asked quietly, looking up at her distraught features.

"I could _kill_ you, Seeley Booth," Tempe whispered angrily.

Wearing a gawked expression, Booth replied, "_Me?_ Why?"

"_Why?_ You scared me half to death, sneaking around outside the window. I thought you were an intruder," she explained, blaming him personally; wondering whether she'd go to prison for murder or manslaughter.

"I am _so_ sorry," he apologised, reaching up to wipe away her fallen tears. "I swear I never would have come if I knew that. I'm so, so sorry."

Staring down at him, Tempe could see the guilt that clouded her dark eyes.

"Why are you here?" she whispered.

Smiling goofily, Booth whispered back, "I missed you."

"You saw me at lunchtime. It's only been twelve hours," she pointed out, placing her hand atop his that rested on her cheek.

"That's twelve hours too long," Booth muttered.

Before she could reply, he pulled her face down to his and kissed her. It wasn't an ideal situation; it was cold and windy outside, and the scratch on his face was stinging; but it romantic somehow. The way in which he kissed her felt different. It held a form of possessiveness and passion she hadn't yet felt from him. She leant out of the window eagerly, yearning to be closer to him.

Pulling apart briefly, Tempe whispered to him angrily, "you owe me _big_ time."

"Gladly," was all he said before they embraced again.

Breaking apart suddenly at the sound of footsteps, this time from inside the house not out, Tempe pulled back and turned to see her father making his way down the stairs.

"Tempe?"

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

After Tempe had suddenly pulled away, Booth had crouched down below the window just before he heard Max's low voice.

"Tempe?" he called. "Is that you?"

"Uh, yeah, Dad," she stumbled on her words slightly.

Appearing at the bottom of the stairs, he leant against the banister and asked, "what are you doing down here? And why is the window open? It's freezing outside." He walked over then, and Booth tried to blend in with the wall as Max leant past Tempe to shut the window.

Although their words were quietened quite a bit, Booth was still able to make them out.

Tempe was silent for a moment, before replying, "I was a little hungry, and while I was down here I thought I heard something outside. I was just having a look."

"Tempe! There could have been an intruder out there! If this happens again, you come and get me," Max scolded her. After Tempe nodded in understanding, Max asked, "will you go to bed soon? You have school tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll just finish off my snack."

As Max began to return upstairs, he paused and asked, "was there anything outside?"

"Oh, no. It was nothing."

Booth could hear the decreasing sound of footsteps, and even after it was silent for a few minutes, waited until Tempe face appeared in the window. Sliding it open slowly, as not to wake her dad up again, Tempe popped her head out into the night air.

"Phew," Booth exhaled. "That was close."

She merely nodded.

"So, I'm nothing, am I?" he mocked, referring back to what she'd just told Max.

"Not nothing," she whispered. "You're _everything_."

"I'm glad," he replied, the smile on his face growing even brighter, if that were even possible. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she told him truthfully, then kissed the scratch on his cheek lightly, "I'm sorry you got scratched. You needn't to have climbed through the garden.

"It was worth it." Kissing her would never cease to amaze him. Peppering light kisses on her lips, Booth said, "I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, but I have to go to the library for a little while after school."

"I don't mind," Booth whispered against her lips before disappearing back into the night.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**I loved writing this chapter, and all of your reviews demanding that it be Booth, helped to motivate me. Thankyou. Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	11. Concentration

**Here's the next chapter. Oh, I forgot to say in my last author's note – WOO for 50 reviews! Thanks heaps. I watched 'The Prince & Me' the other night, and that is partly what gave me the idea for this.**

**I hope you get better soon, Jess :)**

**Enjoy!**

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Teachers always said that concentration was the key to good work, and that good work was the key to success. If that were true, it would mean that to succeed, you must be able to concentrate. It is a skill that _can_ be mastered, though for some, it will remain something they will never learn.

Tempe had always been good at concentrating. She could quite easily block out the sound of the television or radio, when Russ refused to turn down the volume. She manages to complete all of her class work, _during_ class, even when the rest of her peers were causing havoc and yelling and screaming across the room. If she had to get something done, she had the rare skill that she could focus on _just_ that, until she had finished. That's how she'd always been. That's how she probably would always be.

Though today proved to be different.

The point of a library, is that it is quiet. In a library, there should be no reason to have to block out noise and distractions.

Booth had arrived there at about the same time as her, completely willing to just sit there as she did her English assignment. She was in the middle of trying to find a word in the dictionary when it started. At first it was just him taking her hand in his, nothing out of the ordinary, and lacing their fingers together atop his leg. Being something he did all the time, Tempe thought nothing of it, and continued on with her work. But when his free hand started to draw lines up and down her arm, her unwavering concentration began to falter. Goosebumps trailed after his light touch, and very soon, her arm was covered in them.

Glancing over at him quickly to find his broad smile looking back at her, she asked, "what?"

"What? Nothing," he replied, looking confused for a moment.

"Oh, okay, never mind," she said, returning to her work, though her concentration levels were even lower after seeing that smile.

It was then that Tempe became aware of their proximity; their limbs pressed against each other, side by side, leaving not even an inch of airspace. She could now feel his breath on her neck, as he sat there, simply looking at her, and felt shivers run down her spine. Being this close to him, though they had been much closer, did some funny things to her. Her own heartbeat became so loud in her ears and an odd feeling in her stomach erased all traces of thoughts about homework. The movement of his fingers running along her fair skin made her skin go cold, whilst at the same time, it felt as like she was burning.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" she whispered, knowing that giving into his gaze and looking at him was a bad idea.

"What? He asked. "I can't admire my beautiful girlfriend without a reason?" He noted the change in her expression at the word 'beautiful', a slight blush colouring her cheek, and then leant over to press a kiss to it. The blush crept further up and became a different shade of rose altogether.

She didn't reply, and although she was looking at it, she was unable to continue with her work. Booth was too much of a distraction; nothing distracted her. Since when did something like that, like Booth, affect her so much to the point that she was incapable of working. The light touch of his lips against her cheek had sent her stomach into a frenzy; proving her point.

He was so close that when he whispered, "why did you stop working?" his lips brushed against the corner of hers.

"Damn it, Booth," she muttered, shutting her eyes.

"What did I do?" Booth said, a shocked expression on his face, completely oblivious to was effect he was having on her.

"What _didn't_ you do?" she retaliated, noting a smile toy at the corner of his lips as she said this.

"Let me see," he whispered, grazing his lips across her jaw to press a kiss just beneath her ear. "I didn't do this," another kiss to her shoulder, "or this," in the hollow of her neck, "or this," one just under her jaw line, "or th-"

"Are you trying to piss me off?" Tempe asked, frustrated at Booth's teasing; which was seemingly becoming his trademark.

"No, but if you want me to stop..." he trailed off, leaning away from her and back into his chair, only staying there for an instant before she leant over to him and pressed her lips to his. Tempe not being one for public shows of affection, this stunned Booth into almost falling backwards in his chair at her sudden move on him.

"I don't want you to stop," she whispered in his ear. Leaning away from him, she began to pack up her books and repack her back, as if nothing had happened. She walked away for a moment as she went to return books on 'Modern Literature of Today' and 'The Use of the English Language' on their respectful shelves. Slinging her backpack onto one shoulder, she held out her hand to him, and the moment her took it and was out of his seat, she had began to pull him along beside her. The mischievous smile she wore as she led him throughout the library, turning this way and that in amongst the towering shelves of books. The sound of the library phone ringing and the rush of traffic as the entrance doorway opened and closed became distant as he realised just how big this library was. He'd been living in the area for more than two-thirds of his life, and had never been in further than the lobby.

He was completely oblivious to what she was doing, confused really. That was until she dropped her bag to the floor suddenly and instantly connected her lips with his, the heat and tension she'd been trying to hold back before, escape. Hands moving around his neck, she pulled herself closer to him and he simultaneously wrapped his arms around her waist.

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**Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	12. So Serene

**I was going to put this up last night, but the stupid computer fully froze on me and refused to work. Here you go.**

**Enjoy!**

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Being Autumn, the weather was always up and down; one day it was as nice as anything, and the next there's so much rain that the gutters are overflowing in the streets and there's no chance of mowing the lawns anytime soon. Today had been reasonably sunny, and the birds were out of their nests, chirping away. The past week had been freezing, so today was worth taking advantage of.

"Booth, where are you taking me?" Tempe asked, taking careful steps as she had become sight-deprived after the placement of Booth's hand over her eyes.

"You'll see when we get there," he whispered light-heartedly in her ear, keeping his hand firmly in place.

Proceeding to press a kiss to her cheek, he was interrupted by the quick turn of her head and the meeting of their lips. She pulled herself closer to him, the hand that had been covering her eyes, had now entwined itself in her hair.

"I told you not to look," Booth scolded.

"I'm not," she replied truthfully, "my eyes are still closed."

"Then, I guess that's okay."

By the time they had reached their destination, the sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow in the sky. Most of the families seemed to have packed up for the day, their picnic food gone. Booth had gotten the idea to bring her here earlier that day, when he had introduced Tempe to 'The X-Files'. They'd begun watching from the Pilot, and got to episode 4, in which the case of a missing girl led Scully and Mulder to the lake where she was last seen. The lake had reminded him of a place where he, Jared and Pops had gone a few times when he was just a boy.

He smiled as he watched her face light up as she took in her surroundings. The trees in the area around them secluded them into a sense that they were the only ones in the world, that man hadn't gone and replaced nature with buildings and roads. Booth led her along the grassy bank of the lake as she continued to gaze around. The reflection of the setting sun on the water's surface made it appear as silk, like nothing or no one had every touched it.

"This is amazing," she stated; Tempe mesmerised by the beauty of the place, Booth mesmerised by the beauty of her.

"That's not even the best part," he told her, linking their hands together again as he pulled her to the pier a little way off.

At the end of the pier, the only thing in the lake disturbing it's smooth surface, floated a small row boat. Stepping into it, Booth turned to find her smiling back at him wearily.

"Are you sure that's safe, Booth? It looks a little fragile," she said, noting its faded look.

"This thing? Fragile? Now way, me, Pops and Jared used to row out in this old thing all the time." Holding his hand out to her, he said, "it's safe. Trust me."

As her hand filled his, a little shaky at first, he pulled her down onto the floor in front of him. Unhooking the rope from the pier, he pushed off and began to row slowly out into the lake. With the sun now almost completely set, the warmth in the air was decreased and a cool breeze had picked up a bit. Replacing the oars in the boat, Booth allowed them to float aimlessly in the middle of the lake.

"It really is amazing here. So serene," she said in awe. "It really does seem like we're the only ones here."

"Me and Jared used to always fight over who got to row. Then we'd have to settle for one each," Booth laughed quietly at the memory.

Tilting her head back to look at him, Tempe said, "you know, I've never been in a rowboat before. My dad gets seasick and refuses to go in boats, and Mum was never all that keen."

Shuffling back on his seat, he patted the space in front of him. "come and sit here," he said, picking up the oars again. "You're going to row. Don't worry, I'll help you."

Tempe sat between his legs and held onto the ends of the oars, Booth's hands wrapping around hers. Her hands moved the oars through the water, with a _lot_ of direction from Booth.

After moving a reasonable distance, Booth said, releasing his hold on her hands, "okay, now you try. Without my help."

Her first _attempted_ row resulted in flicking the oar out of the water too quickly and splashing Booth's right arm.

"Temperance! That water is freezing, as in, hypothermia worthy freezing. Your toes would fall off in that," Booth complained, disliking its coldness.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tempe apologised, moving so she could press a tender kiss to his lips.

The kiss heated up a little and the sun had finally set, and in an attempt to get closer to him, to feel his body against hers, Tempe knocked the oars out of the boat and into the water.

Pulling back from Booth at the sound of a splash, Tempe said, "damn it!" Disentangling herself from him, she leant across to retrieve them and soon found herself falling from the boat.

When Booth had said that the water was 'hypothermia worthy' he hadn't been kidding. The water hit her like ice; daggers piercing at her now frozen skin. The cold compressed against her, which made her tries to resurface near impossible. Within only moments, a numbness had spread all throughout her body. Her movement became restricted as her limbs began to ache from the icy water.

When she didn't resurface after a few moments, Booth began to worry.

"Temperance!"

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**Another cliff hanger, I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	13. Beyond Freezing

**The response to the last chapter was great! Thankyou all, so much. I got quite a few suggestions as to what could happen in this chapter – **_**Jess**_** – but I had already planned what would be happening and hope you like it. **

**Enjoy!**

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It had all been so sudden. One moment she'd been right in front of him, her lips on his, and the next his arms were empty and there was a splash as she toppled out of the boat. 'She hasn't come up', was all that Booth could think. He tried searching for her by sight, but the water was murky and with the sun now set, there wasn't enough light to see anyway.

"Temperance!" he called, waiting for her beautiful head to pop up from under the water, laughing at her own stupidity.

Her head did not pop up. Waiting a few more moments with no sign of her, he kicked off his shoes and dived in after her. Once he hit the water, he began to freak out. It was so cold; probably due to the fact it hadn't got any sunlight for two weeks. She had been down for just under a minute. The water was so cold and she had just been wearing a light sundress. He tried opening his eyes, but had to squint momentarily while he adjusted. He couldn't see far, he could barely see his own hands, but he could see movement. More so, he could sense movement; the water had a way of moving around him.

Feeling around as he paddled, he heart rose when his hand reached something solid. His hands instinctively wrapping around her biceps, he swam upwards with all his force, his only aim to get her out of the water. They both gasped for air as they broke the surface, his hands going immediately to cup her face as he press his cold lips to hers.

"_Don't_ do that again!" he said angrily, though it was hard to do anything but love her while she was clinging to his shirt like it was her lifeline as her slightly blue lips quivered.

Paddling over to the boat, Booth lifted her up as high as he could. "Try and pull yourself into the boat," he said, as her shaking hands fumbled at the rim of the boat, unable to get a grip. "Come one, just a little pull, Temperance." After a few more attempts, she was in the boat.

Booth trying to get in was another story. With Tempe already safe in the boat, he didn't want to risk tipping it. Telling her to go to opposite end of the boat and hold on tightly, he managed to pull himself safely into the boat, making it rock only slightly.

He pulled her into his arms immediately, rubbing up and down her forearms trying to use the friction as a way to warm her up. It was useless, his clothes were as soaked through as hers and they were both beyond freezing.

"I'm going to row us back to the pier and then I'm taking you to the hospital," Booth told her, as he retrieved the oars he had chucked back in before he'd helped Tempe up. He began to row quickly, the night air becoming cooler as the sky lost its light.

"M-my Dad will ki-kill me if he has to go to the ho-hospital to pick me up," Tempe stuttered, her heavy breathing staggered as she shivered violently.

"I don't care. I'm not letting you freeze to death," Booth ordered. Quickly hooking the boat up to the pier, he jumped out and turned around to bring Tempe up.

As they were walking, as quickly as she could manage, her steps became staggered and uncoordinated. Tightening his hold on her and taking most of her weight, though it wasn't much, they eventually made it to the car. Booth laid her down on his back seat, removing the shopping bags that were there, and went to the boot to retrieve the picnic rug and whatever dry clothes he could find, before wrapping her in them.

If the police had happened to be sitting on the side of the road, monitoring the speed of the cars driving past, Booth surely would have been pulled over. Which, luckily, he didn't. There were not many cars out, so he was easily able to bend the law a little and get her to the closest hospital in record time.

The blankets and jumpers he had covered her in, were now also as wet as her clothes. Chucking them aside, he pulled her into his arms and flush against his chest. He immediately noticed how limp she was. Running into emergency, her eyes beginning to flutter shut as her perfect white teeth continued to chatter, he called out for help to anyone who would listen to him.

"Excuse me, sir, what's the problem?" a nurse asked as she came out from behind the desk.

"We were at the lake and she fell in and the water was freezing and by the time I got her out she was shivering and couldn't stop and her lips were blue and now she's all limp and her eyes are starting to close," Booth said hurriedly, as more nurses came in with a gurney for him to lay her on. As they wheeled her down a corridor, people appeared at her sides and began to take her temperature and check for responses and kept asking him questions.

The scene was pretty much a blur to Booth after that, except for when the tall nurse with red hair said, "her temp is 33, Upper Moderate Hypothermia.

And then they were wheeling her down yet another corridor. As Booth went to follow, a nurse stood in front of him and said quietly, "I'm sorry, sir, but you're just going to have to wait for your friend out here."

"She's not just my frie-" Booth began before stopping. She was already out of his view. Walking over to a chair, he sat down and rested his head in his hand.

'She'll be okay. She'll be okay. She'll be okay,' he kept saying to himself.

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**This chapter turned out much longer than expected. I know I'm mean, leaving you guys on a bit of a cliff hanger like this, again, but I promise you'll find out soon enough. Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	14. Waiting

**Here's the next chapter – which **_**doesn't**_** end of a cliff hanger, by the way – hope you like it.**

**Enjoy!**

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The waiting was really getting on his nerves. She had only been gone for about an hour, but God, it had felt like a lifetime. The hospital was getting to him also, and he so wished he could just run outside for some fresh air or go down to the cafeteria just to get away from the atmosphere of the emergency room. But he couldn't. She was in here. She was lying on a bed somewhere in this building, with doctors and nurses rushing around her. At the same time, he was sitting on a hard, plastic chair, feeling guilty. She was alone in a strange place and that was his fault. He'd taken her to the lake and taught her how to row. And now she lay unconscious and frozen in a room of strangers working about her body. He blamed himself.

It was really late by now, though how late, Booth was unsure. It had long since become dark, but he didn't care that his Pops would probably be freaking out at home and that Max would probably hunt him down for keeping his little girl out late.

By the time a nurse came out and asked for the family and friends of Temperance Brennan, his legs were shaking so badly, he struggled to stand when he was told he could go in and see her. He discarded the polar fleece blanket he'd been presented with in the waiting room in order ro warm up, and followed the nurse through the double doors he'd been contemplating running through for the past hour. He didn't dare look into any of the rooms they passed, in fear that his body would give in to the churning in his gut and throw up. As quiet as it was, it was surprising how many people were bustling around; he even got bumped a couple of times on the short walk.

Room 417.

That's where the nurse stopped and slowly opened the large white door. He was scared to turn and look. He was scared to see how much damage he had caused her. But no matter how scared he was for himself, his worry for her overpowered it by a million. The moment his eyes reached her, he was a goner; his fear gone. He moved silently to the seat in the corner of the plain room and dragged it to her bedside before sitting down. Here body covered in layers of sheets and blankets, some colour was beginning to return to her face.

Though sluggish, he was awake. Her beautiful eyes met with his and she smiled at him weakly.

"Hey," Booth whispered, his eyes now full of unfallen tears.

Her hand moved shakily to his and she entwined his fingers with hers. "Hey," she replied croakily.

She dozed in and out of sleep for the next few hours, and it was well past midnight the next time they spoke.

"I'm _so_ sorry," he whispered, his voice coated with guilt. "You could've died. And I _hate_ myself for wha-"

"Shh," Tempe interrupted. "You cannot hate yourself. I'll tell you why, because I don't think, that two people can view one person with such opposite opinions, unless you have 'Dissociate Identity Disorder', which you do not."

"I don't know what that means," he muttered, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"I don't believe that one person can be hated whilst he is also loved. It just doesn't match up," she explained, Booth glad to hear her back to her normal self.

"And who is it that loves me? Pops?" Booth asked, intrigued in hearing her answer.

"Yes. Your Pops, and Jared," she agreed with him, then added, "and me."

If he'd been eating, Booth surely would have chocked. "You?"

"Yes. Me."

"Really?" he asked, wanting complete confirmation before he jumped out of his seat in joy.

Smiling, and reaching her hand up to his face, Tempe did just that. "Really."

Before she'd even finished saying the word, Booth was out of his chair and pressing kisses to her hair and forehead and cheeks, before finally meeting her lips. "I love you, too. _So_ much. And I am still _so_ very sorry. I promise you I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I'll go and get hypothermia myself."

"No, that would just be idiotic. But I do agree, you owe me."

Laughing, Booth thought hard, and then suggested, "would a date suffice? A proper date, with dinner and flowers?"

"I might need to think about it," she said jokingly, then noticing his shocked and hurt expression, added quickly with a kiss to his lips, "I'm joking, I'm joking. I would _love_ to go on a date with you."

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She was required to stay in the hospital for one more night, of which Booth would stay by her side.

It wasn't until he woke up on the first morning, he back aching from sleeping in a chair, that giving Max a call crossed his mind.

Dialling her home number, Max answered quickly, "Tempe?"

"No, it's Seeley Booth. I'm with Tempe," he said.

"Where the hell is my daughter?" Max yelled loudly, causing Booth to move the phone away from his ear slightly.

Booth told the story, "so, she is in the hospital now, but she is fine. She's only being kept here for observation."

"Okay, thanks for calling," he said, sounding relieved for a moment before changing his tone, "but if this happens again, which it _will not_, you call me the instant it happens, not a second after."

"Yes, Max, I-I mean, Sir."

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**See, no cliff hanger. I've got a few things up my sleeve for the next few chapters, so stay tuned. Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	15. Rest Needed

**YAY! The computer is working again! Hopefully it stays that way. Sorry for the delay in updating, like I said, the computer has been a pain in the ass.**

**Happy 16****th**** to two of the most awesome people in the world! Last night was awesome fun. Never run so fast in my life. Cake and maple syrup for breakfast :P**

**Enjoy!**

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Seeley Booth had gotten so used to seeing her every day. Walking her home from school. Bypassing through the park and sneaking in a few kisses here and there. Inviting her over for dinner and watching a movie. There were few days in which he hadn't seen her. He'd spent his whole life not knowing she even existed, but once he did, he couldn't stand to be away. That's probably why he'd been so restless all day.

After calling Max to tell him that Tempe was in the hospital, Max had driven straight over. He was allowed to stay with her that night. But when Max had driven her home the next morning, it changed. It was obvious that he blamed Booth for what had happened to Tempe. Max had dropped Booth home on the way.

That was two days ago.

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"I'll get it!" Tempe called loudly from upstairs when she heard the phone ringing.

Flinging herself up from her bed and running along the hall before turning right and bounding down the stairs two at a time. By the time she got to the kitchen, where there only phone was positioned, Max had already answered.

"It's Max," he said. "Sorry, Seeley, but she's not up to talking at the moment."

"Dad!" Tempe protested, knowing fully well that _he_ knew fully well that she was perfectly capable of talking on the phone. Just like she was fully capable of going to school and having visitors.

Max held up a finger to silence her and said into the phone, "she needs her rest. You can come and see her when she is better."

The room was silent for a few moments before Max finalised, "she'll be better when she is better," and hung up the phone.

"Why can't I speak to him? I'm fine," she complained, hating being confined in her own home.

"You're not fine. You almost drowned. You need to rest," Max said, continuing to read the business section of the newspaper.

"I am fine. I was released from hospital _two days _ago. They wouldn't have sent me home if I wasn't!" She continued angrily, "You can't keep me from going to school. I have to go. I have work due."

"In a couple days when you're back to your full health, you can go back to school. But for now, you need to stay home and rest."

"Argh!" Tempe sighed, turning on her heel and stomping her way loudly back up the stairs.

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Two days.

She hadn't been at school; he'd gone and waited in his usual self, but she was nowhere to be seen. He'd tried calling countless times; most of the time hanging up when Max answered, knowing what his answer would be. That morning when he had called, he could've sworn he heard Tempe's voice, loud and clear, in the background. But maybe he was just imagining things. Even though he'd come 'round to see her, to check on how she was feeling, he wasn't allowed in.

_She needs her rest_.

She'd had her rest. Lying in a hospital bed for two days straight. If that's not rest, what is?

Jared had asked Booth a couple times for help with his homework, seeing as Tempe hadn't been over. But Booth could only help to a certain extent. He hadn't been paying attention to maths and science in school. He'd been focusing on sports.

Booth had gone to bed early that night. The stress of trying to figure out maths equations and worrying about Tempe and when he'd see her again had worn him out.

It was around half past midnight when his door creaked open a little.

"Jared, go back to bed," Booth mumbled, rolling onto his other side. When his little brother didn't reply but only opened his door further, he said, "what is it? I'm trying to sleep."

"Sorry."

It was that word that made him bolt up in bed, his eyes wide with shock, staring at the doorway. She was wearing leggings and a hoodie, and her visible shivering and chattering teeth proved just how cold she was. The glow from the moonlight allowed him to see her apologetic eyes and flushed cheeks. She was rubbing her hands up and down her upper arms in order to warm up.

Getting quickly to his feet, Booth reached her in only a few strides. He pulled her to him as he wrapped his arms around her shaking torso and pressed a kiss to her hair.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"What are you doing here? Wait, _how_ did you get here?" he asked.

"I walked. My Dad wouldn't let me talk to you and wouldn't let you come in and see me. So I came and saw you," she smiled.

As contagious as her smile was, Booth couldn't help but still frown a little, "you _walked_? It's freezing outside. _And_ its the middle of the night. What did you do? Sneak out your bedroom window?"

She nodded against his bare chest. "Like I said, I missed you."

"Me too," he whispered, crashing his lips onto hers, longing to feel her skin on his. Her hands ran through his hair as they backed up until they both fell out from under their own feet and toppled back onto his bed.

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**For those of you who asked for more fluff, I hope this sufficed. The next few chapters I plan to be quite fluffy, before it becomes a little angsty again.**

**Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	16. Long Goodbye

**I'm very proud of my updating of this story. Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it.**

**The part in italics is the past.**

**Enjoy!**

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The large glowing numbers of Booth's alarm clock stood out in the dark room.

4:47

"I need to go," Tempe whispered, lifting her head off of Booth's chest, to find him still asleep. "Booth?"

"Mhmm," he mumbled, wriggling a little.

Bring her lips to his ear, she whispered again, "I need to go."

His eyes fluttered open then, his lips seeking out hers. "You know, I never asked how you got in my hall?"

"I climbed through the study window," she said. "Your bedroom window is very close to your Pops' room and I didn't want to risk waking him."

Crawling out from under the covers, Tempe fixed her twisted top and straightened up her pants. She found her shoes over near his unused desk, stumbling on something on the floor. Looking around for anything else she may have forgotten, she went to leave the room but was stopped by Booth's voice.

"Do you really have to go?"

"Yeah, I do," she replied, wishing that that wasn't the truth.

Walking over to the end of the bed, she leant over to kiss him sweetly. Within a couple of seconds, his arms were around her waist and had pulled her onto the bed with him again. Her messy hair hung around her face as she kissed him goodbye; a very long goodbye. His bare chest was warm against the strip of skin that was revealed after her top rode up a bit.

"I have to go. Dad gets up at 5:30 for work," she murmured. "I think he'll notice if I'm not in my bed."

"I don't want you to go," he said, disappointed.

"Go back to sleep and I'll see you after school tomorrow," she reassured him.

He simply shook his head, a slight smile on his face, "I can't go back to sleep. Not after you've been in here with me. Never again will I be able to sleep the same."

Kissing him softly again, before retreating to the door, she said seductively, "then maybe I should come over more often. I really do need to go. Love you."

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Tempe was back in bed by 5:18.

She pretended to be asleep when Max opened her bedroom door at around 5:44.

She woke again at 7:15 with a huge smile on her face.

She arrived at school a little early at 8:53.

At 2:46 it seemed like too long until school would be finished.

When 3:30 came, she rushed out of school, beaming to find Booth waiting for her in his usual spot.

"How was the rest of your night?" he asked when she reached him, quickly taking his hand.

"It was okay. Dad didn't suspect a thing," she said proudly, "how was your day?"

"You really want to know?" he asked.

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"_Hey, Pops," Booth said as he walked into the kitchen that morning._

"_Hey, Shrimp, want some scrambled eggs?" he asked, looking up from the stove._

_Nodding, Booth sat down at the bench and started aimlessly flicking through the newspaper._

_Not much interesting was happening. There was a riot going on somewhere about some law people wanted changed. Two tiger cubs had been born at the zoo; both girls. Another actor had come out as gay. The only surviving person from something died at the age of 85 in his nursing home. Nothing that sparked his interest._

_Pops' scrambled eggs were better than any others he'd tasted; but maybe that was just him being biased. _

_Booth was half way through a mouth full when Pops spoke, almost causing him to choke, "did Temperance get home okay this morning?"_

_After spluttering a little and catching his breath, Booth lied, "what do you mean?"_

"_I may be old," he began, "but I'm not deaf. I heard her come in through the study last night. No point in lying."_

"_She got home fine," Booth said quietly, his head down, not wanting his Pops to see just how red his cheeks currently were._

_The rest of the morning was uneventful. Booth went for a run and had a shower when he got back. He ate a toasted sandwich while watching the baseball on TV. It wasn't until just after lunch that something happened._

"_Pops! Why did you tell all the neighbours that she was over?" Booth asked, cringing with embarrassment._

"_Joan asked how you and Temperance were going, and the first thing that came to my mind was that you were fine considering she slept over last night. What's wrong in saying that?" he said, oblivious to what everyone would now assume._

"_Everyone's going to think we – you know – _did it_," Booth whispered, his voice almost inaudible towards the end. _

"_You're a respectful man, Shrimp, no one would assume that. Unless you _are_, which in that case, I'd hope you were being-"_

_Booth cut him off. "Pops! We didn't do anything. End of story. Just – just drop it."_

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"I think that if very amusing," Tempe laughed when Booth told her the events of that morning.

"_Amusing_? It won't be amusing if word gets around and your Dad finds out," he pointed out, completely seriously. "If he thinks I'm taking advantage of his daughter, I'd be dead within 24 hours."

"But that wouldn't happen. Because you would never take advantage of me and I would never let him kill you," she said.

"Temperance?" Booth asked.

She looked up at him, "yes?"

"Go on a date with me?"

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**I know this chapter was a lot of dialogue, hope you don't mind. Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	17. An Impromptu Lead Up

**So sorry for the long delay. I've been lazy. **

**Enjoy!**

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With the rain pouring down like there was no tomorrow, Booth gazed down at the flooded grass from the tree house in his back yard. Him and Pops had built it for Jared for his eighth birthday. Twisting one of Tempe's locks around his finger, he gladly relaxed into the beanbag.

Still remaining leant back against his chest, Tempe asked Booth, "what was Pops talking about at lunch, about calling work back?"

It was at these words that Tempe noticed his arms stiffen around her. His breath had a little catch in it the next time he spoke.

"Well, I used to have a job, helping out the mechanic near the milk bar," he said.

"_Used_ to?"

"Pops had a bit of a health scare about six months ago, and I stopped working so I could be at home with him, because he couldn't take care of himself. Pops reckons I should go and ask if they still have something available for me," Booth explained, wrapping his arms around her torso.

"Let's go down tomorrow," Tempe said abruptly.

"Tomorrow?"

She clarified, "yes, it is a Sunday and neither of us have anything on. Come on, wouldn't it be a lot more handy if you had some spare cash?"

Nodding, Booth said, "it would."

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Scrambling off of the couch to answer the phone before the answering machine picked it up.

"Hello?" he answered, balancing himself against the kitchen counter.

"Hey, Booth. You don't need to worry about the dance tomorrow night," she said, finishing with a sniff.

Tempe's school Social was to be the following night, and had invited Booth as her date. Not many people in her year were bringing dates. Well, Hodgins was bringing Angela for their first 'proper' date; though they'd already found themselves caught many a times by the librarian doing things that only couples do; but it was a very small minority of the students who were bringing someone from outside the school.

"Why?" Booth asked, utterly confused. All Tempe and Angela had been able to talk about was what they'd be wearing, what songs they'd hope would be played, etc.

"Dad changed his mind, and Mum's really busy with work at the moment; she's expected to get a promotion soon; so I don't want to bother her and bring her into this. Sorry, maybe next year," she sighed, falling back onto her bed.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Opening the text message she just received, Temperance peered out her bedroom door:

_** You gonna let me in?**_

Getting to her feet, Tempe peered down the hall to find it empty. Jogging down the stairs, she flicked on the porch light and looked through the peephole to see Booth standing on the other side of the door. Turning the handle and pulling it toward her, she gasped at Booth's appearance.

"Booth! Why are you wearing a tuxedo?" she asked, shocked.

Smiling and walking past her into the hallway, he replied, "well, and just know, I know that this is going to sound corny...you couldn't go to the dance, so...I brought the dance to you."

"What do you mean?"

"Just sit here," she said, leading her to one of the kitchen stools, "and wait for me to come and get you. I just need to do something."

As he walked off down the hall and then turned into the lounge room, Tempe noticed how the backpack on his shoulders still seemed to make him seem boyish, despite his manly appearance. She listened closely, trying to find out what he was up to, but he kept as quiet as a mouse. After around five or ten minutes, soft music began to flow through the house.

He reappeared soon after that, and took her hand to lead her down the hall. Entering the lounge, Tempe was surprised to find her sitting room decorated with black and silver balloons and streamers. He had moved the couches to the edge of the room, leaving a large empty space in the middle.

Turning to face her again, Booth asked, "dance with me?"

Smiling sheepishly and stepping toward him, Tempe said, "I didn't know you could dance."

"I can't," he admitted wrapping his arms around her waist.

Swaying to the music, she laid her head against his chest.

"I look like such a slob standing next to you right now," she whispered, looking down at her sweatpants and singlet.

"I think you look ten times more beautiful just like this, than any of the other girls at the dance tonight."

"This is very romantic of you, Booth," Tempe pointed out. "Is this the 'date' you were talking about?"

"No. This is, how would I put it, an impromptu lead-up to the 'date'."

Pressing her lips lightly to his jaw, she said, "well, if this isn't even a date, I can't wait to see the real one."

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**Once again, sorry for the wait. And also for the shortness of the chapter, I kind of just wanted to get something up :)**

**Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	18. Saturday Night

**Here's the next chapter, and this is where the nitty gritty stuff starts to happen.**

**Anyone here read **_**Last Sacrifice**_**? May I just say that that has got to be the best of them all.**

**I'd really like to thank my readers, those who do review and those who don't, for sticking with this story. I know recently I've really sucked at updating, which I know is incredibly annoying. So thankyou, for your support and suggestions.**

**On Thursday night I bought two pet fish; my first fish in many, many years. Last night (Sunday), they died :( that has got to be a new record – 3 days. R.I.P Fred and Jeremiah xoxo**

**On a brighter note, enjoy!**

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"So," Booth began, wiping the grease from the car from his hands with an old rag. "About our date..."

Walking over to Tempe, who was laying back against the hood of the old Ford, he admired her long, lean legs shown off by the cute denim shorts she was wearing.

"Yeah? What about our date?" she asked, leaning up onto her elbows.

"Well, I was thinking," he asked, taking her hands and pulling her into a sitting position, "what are you doing Saturday night?"

Tempe thought for a moment, and then said, taunting him with a mischievous grin on her face, "oh sorry, I think I'm busy. I'm pretty sure I had plans to brush my hair on Saturday."

"Ha ha ha," Booth laughed sarcastically. "Really, what are you doing on Saturday night?"

Reaching up behind his neck, Tempe pulled him to her, seeking out his lips with hers. Booth's arms looped around her waist as she wrapped her legs around his middle.

"On Saturday, I plan to do exactly this," she whispered, making him laugh.

"What? Kissing me on the hood of my old truck?"

"More or less. I don't know about the bit with your car, but definitely the kissing part," she said, bringing their lips together again.

"Seeley!" a voice whined from behind them.

Breaking apart, Booth and Tempe turned to find Jared standing a couple of metres away from them; jaw open, looking appalled.

"Do you mind, Jared? I'm kind of a little busy here," Booth said, earning a complaining groan from his little brother.

"Seel! Not in front of me! Ever heard the saying 'get a room'?" Jared grumbled, walking past them to get the mail from the letter box, before retreating to the safety of the house.

"Poor Jared," Tempe mused.

"He'll get over it."

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

After spending two and a half hours looking through every item of clothing she owned, Tempe was beyond the point of simply being frustrated. Her single bed was covered in discarded items that she'd tried on and then decided weren't quite right; which was pretty much everything. She needed something for tomorrow night, and as it seemed, she had nothing.

Grabbing her phone and her purse, she decided she would go and visit Angela. Angela was the Queen of fashion and design. She would know what to do.

Ringing the doorbell, Brennan smiled at the familiar woman who greeted her.

"Hey, Mrs Montenegro. Is Angela in?" she asked, as she was invited inside.

"Yeah, of course. I'm pretty sure she was up in her room," Angela's mum said, returning to her ironing.

Tempe loved the Montenegro's house. It was always so warm and welcoming. Angela's influence in the decorating made the house the most colourful and vibrant house she'd ever been in it; but she just loved the craziness of it all. Walking up the stairs and turning right when she got to the top, Tempe knocked on the second door on the left before opening it.

"Hey, Ange. I just dropped by to ask you abou – oh my God, I am so sorry!" she said startled and embarrassed, her hands quickly moving to cover her eyes.

Tempe had not expected to walk in on that any more than Angela expected someone to walk in on it. Tempe had not expected to walk into her friend's room to find her friend lying on her queen-sized bed giving playful kissing to a topless Jack Hodgins – science was going to be very awkward next week. In the shock of being caught out, Jack had fallen off the edge of the bed and now sat rubbing his shoulder. Angela, always very open with everyone about everything, just stayed on her bed, biting her lip as she giggled quietly at the situation.

"Hey, Tempe, how's it going?" she said relaxed.

"Uh, great. I just needed your, um, opinion," she said, trying to word it correctly with Jack in the room.

"Sure, Sweetie. Hold on just a moment..."

"It's cool, I'll head downstairs and get a lemonade or something," Hodgins stepped in, redressing as he got to his feet.

"Aw, thanks baby," Ange said, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips. Just before he left the room, she added, "we'll get back to that later." Turning back to Tempe, Ange asked, "so, what expertise of mine do you need?"

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

"Shrimp!" Pops called as Booth walked passed the kitchen. "You brush up pretty well, and I'm sure Temperance will think the same."

Looking down at his outfit, Booth smiled, before saying goodbye and leaving the house. Saturday had arrived. He had _actually_ ironed his dress pants and the only proper shirt he owned. He'd booked a table at the restaurant down at the pier, which he knew Tempe loved.

Organising to meet at 7, Booth arrived at 6:45, not wanting to rock up late. He sat at their small hideaway table for what felt like ages, waiting for her to arrive. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he realised it had been ages. It was 8:42. Taking out his phone, he tried her mobile; no answer. He then tried her home phone; no answer. Maybe she wasn't at home anymore because she was on the way here, uncharacteristically running late. He thought he'd wait it out a little longer, knowing she was probably just running late from nerves; he knew the feeling.

He waited, and waited. He waited to the point that the waitresses told him he needed to either order something or leave. He chose the latter.

What he thought was going to be the most amazing night, had turned out to be him walking home in his best clothes, completely alone. She had stood him up.

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**I'm sorry. So, so sorry for leaving it at this. But I can't help myself.**

**Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	19. Close To Perfect

**I'M SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY! I've been so slack and just haven't been bothered. But I'm back :) Just to recap you because it's been so long... end of last chapter, Tempe didn't show up for her date with Booth :'( **

**Enjoy!**

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Life really had been perfect. AT home, he was doing great. His so-called 'Dad' was out of the picture for good it seemed. Pops' health was getting better and was able to do the majority of what he used to do before his scare. He'd gotten his old job back; God knew he could use the money. Jared was doing really well at school. He had a lot of good friends, and Temperance was helping him with his homework...

Temperance. Since that first day he met her, he'd fallen for her hard. There was just something about her that fascinated him. Maybe it was that she was different most people he knew. She didn't care about being popular and having a huge group of friends. She didn't change herself in an attempt to impress anyone. She just wanted to do well at school and be happy. Every moment he'd spent with her, and even all the moments he hadn't, had made him fall even more in love with her.

He knew there was no such thing as perfection; not technically. But his life had _seemed_ perfect. That was, until he realised that the girl who had made it seem that way, wasn't as amazing and wonderful as he'd originally thought.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Opening the front door, Booth wiped his shoes on the doormat before stepping inside. He tried to be quiet as he wandered down the hall and passed the kitchen. Though, once again, luck was not on his side.

"Shrimp! How was your dinner with Temperance?" Pops called from his chair in the living room.

Turning to look at his grandfather, Booth found his looking at him with a hopeful glint in his eyes. Booth's silent glance must have been more solemn and revealing than he thought, as Pops' expression soon changed to one of sympathy.

Without a word, Booth made his way upstairs.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

The next day he texted her multiple times. She didn't reply to any of them. He tried to call her; both on her mobile and home phone. She never answered.

If it hadn't been for Abigail's; an old friend of Pops'; birthday lunch which he had promised he'd go to, Booth would have walked right down to her house and demanded to know why she couldn't even give him the common decency to at least call. Instead, he was 3 hours away listening to a group of retirees talk about lawn bowls and pet cats and knitting.

Temperance's dad had this rule. No guests after 6.30pm. Whether or not that applied to everyone or just Booth, he didn't know; he wouldn't be one bit surprised if that was the case. Max said it was because 6.30 was the time when the family sat down for dinner. But Booth knew for a fact that the majority of the time, they didn't eat until after 7.

By the time Booth, Pops and Jared got home from Abigail's, it was far past Max's curfew rule. He'd just have to wait until tomorrow.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Lying in bed, Booth realised that tossing and turning would do him no good in getting any sleep. Flopping down onto the couch in the living room downstairs, Booth turned on the TV.

Flicking to a new channel when all the repetitive infomercials got on his nerves, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw what was showing on the late night news.

A photo of Temperance and her brother where on the screen.

"…_Temperance and Russ, Max and Christine's children, still remain at home and wish to find their parents. If you have any information about their whereabouts, please contact…."_ the newsreader read in the typical newsreader tone.

After that, an ad for Wal-mart came on and Booth fazed out.

_Temperance's parents were missing?_

Turning off the TV, he ran from the house, not even bothering to leave a note; Pops wouldn't be up 'til morning.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Halting at her doorstep, Booth caught his breath for a moment. No lights were on in the house, which was understandable, considering the time.

Knocking on the door, he called out, "Temperance!" When she didn't reply, he knocked a little louder and called, "Temperance, open up! It's Booth!"

When there was still no answer, he tried the door handle and found it open. Allowing himself into the house, he looked around. It was almost pitch-black and it took him a few minutes for his eyes to adjust. Dirty dishes were stacked up in the sink and washing lay strewn on the couch. Booth walked up the staircase in the direction of her bedroom, of which the door was slightly ajar. Opening the door further, it creaked a little; Booth saw a dark shape in the corner. Turning on the light, he saw her. Curled up in the far corner of her room, Temperance sat her eyes wide and rimmed with red. Her tear-streaked face distraught with fear and sorrow almost broke his heart. Walking to her side, he sat down next to her and wrapped her in his arms.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**It had to happen eventually...**

**Please review and let me know what you thought. Once again, so so sorry for the delay.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	20. Hours

**WOOO! BONES IS BACK! So I know I'm behind (I am an Aussie) but Hannah was a serious b**ch with the whole sunglasses thing!**

**I have decided after doing two days (a total of sixteen hours) of stock take at Sam's Warehouse, that it isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Apart from having to unstack and then restack 117 bags of Omo powder, 5 kilo bags to be exact, at 9.30 in the morning. Anyway...**

**This is a little angsty, but it kind of had to be done. Here's the next chapter for you guys!**

**Enjoy!**

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**MONDAY**

Hours they sat there in the corner of her room. Hours the tears continued to fall from her beautiful blue eyes. Hours she shook in his arms as she cried endlessly. Hours time evaded them. Hours he felt like he may cry from the sorrow of the situation. From the sight of her weakened body.

It had been hours, how many, he didn't know. It had been that many hours that Booth could see the dim glow of sunrise through Tempe's uncurtained windows, when her cries subsided quite suddenly. Looking down at her, he sighed when he realised she had fallen asleep; likely from exhaustion. Wrapping his other arm beneath her knees, Booth lifted her into his arms and carried her over to her bed. It had been so long since he'd been in here, what with Max being so strict and all. Pulling the covers over her curled up body, Booth lay beside her, wrapping his arms around her middle and pulling her close.

**TUESDAY**

It had been 38 hours since he'd found her, broken and alone on her bedroom floor. She hadn't gone to school. He'd called Pops. He hadn't gone back home. Not yet. It had been over 50 hours since she had talked to him. He'd said every comforting thing in his entire vocabulary. He'd asked question after question, trying to get some sort of response out of her. She wouldn't budge. She'd just sit there, a blank look on her face as though she couldn't hear a single word he was saying.

It had been 38 hours straight that he'd been waiting for her to respond to him. It has been 38 hours and he was fed up.

Walking up behind the stool she was sitting on, reading the paper, Booth wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Temperance."

She turned the page of the paper.

"Temperance, look at me."

She sat there silently.

Unwrapping his arms from her, he grabbed the stool and spun it around, so her face was just millimetres from his, her startled blue eyes looking into his for the first time in 38 hours.

"Temperance," Booth sighed. "Please, just tell me. Where's Russ?"

Slowly Tempe's eyes grew watery, her bottom lip quavering. "He left," she said simply, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"Left? Where?" Booth asked, utterly confused, not at all expecting that to be her answer.

"I don't know. I got up for breakfast a couple of days ago, and he was just about to walk out the door, bags in hand. I thought maybe he was going out to look for them; that I could understand. I asked him if he was and he just shook his head. He didn't even tell me why he was leaving or where he was going. He didn't even say 'goodbye' or 'take care'. He just left me there. _By myself_," she said, her last words merely a whisper.

"But – why would he leave?" unable to wrap his head around any of it, Booth prayed that she wouldn't shut down again.

Shrugging and wiping her eyes, she said, "who knows? He's eighteen. He can do what he likes. He probably didn't want to have to stay at home and look after his little sister."

"But – that's his responsibility. To take care of family!"

**THURSDAY**

After going to the police and notifying them of Russ' departure, the police contacted Child Services who believed it best that Tempe was temporarily taken into the custody of a foster family, until her parents were found or other arrangements were made.

A car would be arriving shortly to take her to her foster family's home; the Maurice's.

The majority of her belongings were packed away, to either go with her or go into storage. Her room seemed so bare. All of her photographs were packed up. Her drawers and wardrobe were stripped. Her bookshelf was pretty much empty; Tempe only leaving a few stray books behind. It felt as though it wasn't even her room any more. It felt like one of the rooms you'd see in a furniture store or a display home; showing off the furniture itself, not the bits and pieces that make it someone's.

Booth was working at the garage, his first day back. He'd tried to take it off to be with her, but she'd insisted keeping his job as more important.

_Beep! Beep! _the car horn tooted outside.

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**Okay, I know it's short, but I kind of wanted to leave it here. Sorry for the delay.**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	21. Adjusting

**I know what you're probably thinking and no, this is not an illusion. I am ACTUALLY updating! Normally when it takes me a while to update I have a reason but to be honest this time I don't. I kind of got stuck and then lost inspiration because I'd only really planned up to this point in the story. Anyway, because it's been a while I'll just recap what happened: Tempe's parents went missing, Russ left and Tempe went into foster care.**

**Enjoy :) **

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The past few weeks had been pretty hectic. Fitting into her new home had been odd. Tempe had lived in the same house since she was born. She'd never lived anywhere else her whole life.

Her foster parents were very nice. Jillian, her foster-mother, was in her mid-thirties. She worked part-time at the local council doing paperwork and that sort of thing. The rest of the time she spent at home; cooking, cleaning, reading, etc. Nicholas was very kind to her too. Unlike his wife, we worked at the local 'drop-in centre' full-time. He had a PhD in Medicine, majoring in Psychology. The drop-in centre helped out kids and teenagers who have troubles at home, or who gets pregnant at age 16 or who fall off the wrong side of the tracks.

Nicholas and Jillian don't have any kids together, but when Jillian was 15 she had a child and kept him. He's in his early twenties now. Patrick, his name is, and he's studying at university to become a lawyer.

Since the move, Tempe hadn't really had any time to see Booth. He would meet her a couple of days after school and hang around for 20 or so minutes until her bus came. But still, that small amount of time was cut even shorter with Booth having to work some afternoons.

Everything seemed to be piling up on her. She had a tonne of homework. She had to leave earlier in the mornings to catch the bus and got home later in the afternoon. She'd often find her mind wandering to Booth and thinking about what he'd been up to since they last spoke. Atop of all that, the stress and emotions of her parents' investigation were weighing down on her, catching her at her most vulnerable.

She hadn't heard from Russ since he'd left that day. She didn't have the slightest idea of where he would've gone. They had no family, other than their parents, and no one had any idea where they were. She hadn't heard from him at all, though just the other day there was an envelope sent to her in the mail with $300 in it. She suspected it was from her brother but lacked any form of proof.

"Hi, Jillian," Tempe greeted as she walked into the kitchen after school. "Hi, Nicholas."

"Hello, Temperance, how was school?" Jillian asked, looking up from the magazine she was reading.

Tempe shrugged, "it was okay. I got my science test results back, which were lower than I had hoped."

"Oh, that's a shame. What mark did you get?"

Taking her school books out of her back, Tempe replied, "33 points."

"Out of what?" Nicholas joined in the conversation.

"34."

"Oh, but that's an excellent result!"

Shrugging once again, "I guess so."

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For quite a few days, Jillian had noticed that Tempe was a little down in the dumps. She first noticed her behaving a little odd when that envelope of money arrived in the mail. Maybe the fact that she didn't know who had sent it was playing on her mind. Not only that, but since her first few days living with them she hadn't had a single friend over or gone to a friend's house.

"Nick," Jillian asked him over breakfast. "I'm worried about Temperance. She doesn't seem very happy. I was thinking that maybe she should stay at a friend's house this weekend, cheer her up a bit."

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Walking out of Visual Design on Friday before lunch, Angela was met by Tempe on her way to her locker.

"Hey, Ange," Tempe smiled, leaning against Angela's neighbouring locker.

"Hey, what's up? You look a little distracted."

"Oh no, I'm fine," Tempe replied. "Are you busy tonight?"

"Um, my parents are going away for the weekend so I was going to leave my homework until the last minute, lay down on the couch, eat popcorn and watch movies. Do you wanna join?" Angela asked hopefully.

"Leaving homework to the last minute isn't very efficient, Ange," she pointed out. "But yes. Jillian and Nicholas have a function to go to tonight and they said I can either just stay home or stay at a friend's. And I don't particularly feel like spending a night by myself."

"Sure," Angela smiled, following Temperance to her locker. "You can just come over whenever you're ready. Oh, it's going to be so much fun. We haven't hung out for ages. Do you have any movie preferences?"

"I don't really mind. I'm happy with anything," Tempe said.

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"Coming!" Angela called from the kitchen when the doorbell rang at around 5:30 pm.

"Hey, Temp-"

"Hello, beautiful," Jack interrupted her, stepping forward to press his lips to hers.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" Angela asked surprised.

"Well, you said your parents were going away and I thought you could use some company," he smiled.

"I already have company. I have Tempe coming over for the night."

"I know," he said, confusing Angela further. "That's why, when she shows up here, I am going to drive her over to one, Seeley Booth."

As a grin grew on her face, Angela said, "and _that_, is why you're a genius."

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Hearing a noise from downstairs, Booth looked towards his bedroom door. After waiting a few minutes he laid back down.

There the noise was again.

Pops had taken Jared to the local fair so it wasn't either of them. Walking down the hallway and then down the stairs, he got the fright of his life when a body flung itself around him and sweet, soft lips met his.

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**There you go :) I hope that made up for the **_**long**_** break.**

**Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	22. Bombshell

**I am coming out of hiding – ashamed. Sorry, once again, for taking so long to update. This chapter is the second last one, or third last if you include the epilogue. I've been writing a bit in advance so it won't be as long between updates.**

**This chapter is for Jess, because she went home sick today. Feel better :)**

**Enjoy!**

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"W-what are you doing here?" Booth asked in confusion.

When he'd woken up that morning, Booth most definitely had not seen this happening. Pops and Jared were out and he's just visualised himself eating some leftovers for dinner, watching a game on TV and maybe getting an early night. Never had he expected to see his girlfriend lunge at him, her hands and lips touching everything they could. He hadn't expected to see his girlfriend at all.

The last couple of weeks he'd only seen her twice, maybe three times. The last time he'd seen her was thirteen days ago; not that he was counting. Going from seeing her every day and constantly seeing her smile, to perhaps seeing her once a week if he was lucky, was a real shock to the system.

She was dressed in her casual jeans and a jumper. Her hair was pulled back loosely and her nose and cheeks were flushed pink from the cold air outside.

"I missed you," she whispered, not answering his question.

"Me too," Booth smiled, pulling Tempe into his arms and hugging her close. "I hate that you live so far away now."

Nodding against his chest, she hugged him back tightly.

If it had not been for the complete silence of the house, Booth would not have heard the almost inaudible muffle of her tears against his shirt.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Shaking her head and wiping her eyes quickly, Tempe smiled weakly, nothing, I'm just glad to see you." Leaning up once more, she pressed her lips to his.

A few hours passed and Booth and Tempe found themselves asleep on the floor next to Booth's bed. Her head rested on his shoulder, her hair splayed across the surrounding carpet.

At the sound of Pops' bedroom door closing, Tempe jerked awake. Leaning up on her elbows and looking around the room, Tempe smiled as she realised where she was and who's arms she lay ing.

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"It's really sad about Tempe and her foster parents," Angela sighed, eating a spoonful of Jack's ice-cream.

Lying on the couch in the living room, Jack and Angela sat eating ice-cream while watching annoying infomercials on the TV.

"What's up with her foster parents? I thought they were really nice?" Jack asked, taking Angela's spoon.

Realising her fault, Angela quickly covered up her fumble. "Oh, nothing really. Just the fact that she's in the foster system, that's all."

Jack seemed to believe her, much to Angela's relief, Tempe had made her promise not to tell anyone.

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"I have to get back to Ange's. Jillian is picking me up just before nine," Tempe whispered.

Groaning, Booth rolled over to face her.

"Do you have to? I hardly get to see you anymore," he complained.

"Yes," Tempe said, pressing a kiss to his lips and standing up.

Booth stared at her as she pt on her jumper and her shoes, her hair ruffled and messy.

"Bye," she smiled, slipping out of his bedroom door and sneaking down the hallway as quietly as she could. It wasn't until she was passing the kitchen that he came up behind her.

"You forgot something," Booth whispered in her ear from behind.

Turning around, Tempe replied, "what?" before being silenced by his lips.

"Now you're ready."

Walking back towards the stairs, Booth almost fainted when Pops appeared out of k=nowhere.

"Have a nice night, Shrimp?" he said, a small smirk on his lips.

"I – uh – I just – um – yeah?" Booth spluttered.

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"You WHAT?" Tempe gasped, getting 'shh-ed' by the librarian in the next aisle.

"I didn't _actually_ say it, but I almost did. I'm sorry," Angela explained apologetically.

Pulling Angela away from the other people in the library, Tempe sat down at a table at the back near Non-Fiction.

"I told you not to tell anyone. Not a soul!"

"I'm sorry, I just wasn't thinking and it slipped out. But I covered it up before Jack even had time to think about it. He completely believed me," Angela explained. "But you do realised that you're going to have to tell people sooner or later. I think they're going to notice when you stop showing up to school."

"Yeah, I know," Tempe sighed.

Only a few nights ago at dinner, Jillian had announced to her that her and Nick were having a baby. Tempe had been overjoyed, thinking about having a little brother or sister, like she'd always wanted. It was when she was thinking about all the adorable baby clothes she'd buy for the baby, when Nick and Jillian dropped the bombshell.

She should have expected it. A new baby is a lot of work and a lot of money. It was understandable. Tempe had just thought that she'd stay with Nick and Jillian until she decided to move out. She didn't think it would be the other way around; that she stayed until they wanted her out.

The baby needed a room. Their house wasn't big enough and they didn't have enough money for the hospital and doctor visits, and all of the new clothes and furniture for the baby. They didn't have enough money because they had to pay for Tempe's school fees and school books.

So, she was going back into the foster system; to be tossed, turned, poked and prodded through the re-homing selection.

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**There you go :) I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	23. Nothing

**Here we are, the next chapter, and only two days after the last. I'm not sure why, but my computer was not allowing me to reply to reviews, so: **_devoted2clois, cammygrl, MMWillow13, couchpotato565, Jazmin and cheysma2000_, **thankyou so much for your reviews, they are highly appreciated. As I said in the last chapter, this will be the second last chapter of the story.**

**Enjoy !**

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

She really was leaving.

On her last day of school, she tried to pretend that it was just like any other normal day. She didn't get anyone to sign her school dress like Alice Sebel had done when she'd moved schools last year, and she didn't make a big deal about it. Not many people knew she was leaving; Jack and Angela, and a few other people from her classes, but that was about it.

And Booth.

It had been a bit awkward between them since she'd told him the news. How do you say goodbye to someone, knowing you're moving hours away and will probably never see them again? What do you say? _Bye. Thanks for being the most amazing person I've ever known and hope you have a good life_?

She didn't know exactly where she was going; she stopped listening after they told her it was interstate. She was staying with Frank and Eliza Curtain, who were both lawyers in their 40s.

Nick and Jillian had promised to send her photos of the little one when he/she was born. Tempe wasn't even sure she would want to see the photos; seeing what she was missing out on, rubbed in her face.

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Walking to the front of the room at the start of History, Tempe smiled, "Hi, Mr Bridges."

"Oh, hello, Temperance. Is there something I can help you with?" he asked, looking up from the essay he was marking.

"I'm not sure if you've heard, but I'm transferring schools and today is my last day here. I just thought you might need to know, for attendance records and that sort of stuff," Tempe explained.

"Oh," he said, taking his glasses off and placing them on his desk. "I'm sure you'll do splendidly at your new school, but well, you'll be missed here. You were a great asset to the student body."

"Thankyou, Mr Bridges," Tempe said, turning around after quickly adding, "you were always my favourite teacher, by the way."

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Just as she'd wished, the day had been like any other. No big fuss was made, which suited her just fine.

It was after the final bell rang that it finally hit her. She would not come back here again. She would clear out her locker and that would be it. But then came the hard part; the part she wishes she could just skip right past. The goodbyes.

"Make sure you don't lose touch, okay?" Angela said, tears spilling over from her eyes.

"Promise," Tempe replied, hugging her tightly.

"See you, Tempe," Jack said, pulling her in for a hug. "Now, in years to come, when you're a world renowned scientist, I can say that it's because of me, 'cause I sat next to you in high school Biology." Jack smiled.

"Same goes for you," Tempe laughed back. "Take care of Angela for me?"

"Always."

Turning to Booth, Tempe tried her utmost hardest to hold back her tears.

"Temperance." Smiling, Booth said, "I love you and I don't – not one bit – want to say goodbye to you, which is why I'm not going to. I'm going to say 'goodbye for now', because I will make it my life mission to find you again. I'll write to you..."

"You do realise you could just email me?" Tempe suggested.

"Well, I could," Booth said, "but receiving a letter in the mail is much more exciting than getting an email. And what happens if the internet crashes and can never be accessed again? You see, letter you can hold on to forever."

"I love you," Tempe said, her vision blurry form tears. "Until we meet again."

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Tempe and Booth kept in touch, regularly writing letters and the every so often phone call. But moving from foster home to foster home, the constant changing of addresses made it difficult.

For at least a year, at least twice a month Tempe would hear from Booth. But then the letter became more and more infrequent. And the ones she did receive, were shorter and more distant. Booth used to tell her everything; how work and Pops and Jared were going, what he was thinking of doing on the weekend, even what he planned on cooking for dinner. Nowadays, Tempe hardly heard any of the things from him like she used to.

And then the letters just stopped. Just like that. Nothing.

Tempe continually read through his more recent letters to see if there was anything she'd missed, hinting to where he was and why he no longer wrote. She found nothing.

So she searched through her old boxes in her room and eventually came across the phone number she was looking for.

Dialling, she waited.

"Hello?" that very familiar voice answered.

"Pops, it's me, Temperance."

"Tempe? How are you?" he asked, excitement in his voice.

"I'm good, thankyou. How about you and Jared?"

"Oh, yes. Same old, same old."

"I just had to ask you something. I haven't heard from Booth in a while, and I was just wondering if you knew where he might be?" Tempe asked hopefully.

"Oh. He didn't tell you?" Pops asked wearily, not so enthusiastic anymore.

"Tell me what?"

"He – umm – he joined the army and well, got sent off to war."

It was after that phone call that Tempe gave up trying to keep in touch.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**Please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


	24. Epilogue

**So we have come to an end. I cannot believe the response I have gotten for this story. It's amazing. I just want to say a big thankyou to every single person who reviewed or added this story to their favourites/alerts. You guys really make it worth while. Jess especially, who somehow almost always manages to be the first person to review each chapter.**

**As much as I wanted to include your suggestions for how this story would end up, I've had in my mind for a while what would happen in this chapter, but your ideas are very appreciated. So please, review away.**

**Enjoy!**

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_**15 Years Later**_

When Gemma Arrington's mother called Booth and asked to speak with him, he was at a loss to why. The New York Coroner's Office was due to release her daughters remains for burial, which to many families would allow them to have a funeral and gain some closure.

But when your daughter was murdered, not knowing what happened to her in the lead-up to her tragic death, and the person who took away her life is still unfound, surely circumstances change.

Booth knew the chances, that by looking again at Gemma's file and happening upon something that leads him straight to her killer, were almost next to nothing. It would be pointless. He knew the case inside and out, without even needing to open a single file. He knew the dates, the times, the location. He knew without a doubt that there wasn't any way he could come up with anything new.

But he had to at least try. How can you tell a grieving mother, pleading with you to help bring her daughter justice, 'no, I can't help you'? You couldn't. So he would try, at least try, to find something he may have missed.

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"Camille," Booth greeted. It had been quite a while since Seeley Booth and Camille Saroyan had crossed paths.

"Seeley," she nodded.

Camille Saroyan was the New York coroner who was going to release Gemma Arrington's remains. If anything was going to work, this would be it.

"I can get you Gemma's file," she began, before saying, "but you know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome.

He'd heard this from her before; back in the day it had kind of been her catch phrase.

When she suggested that Booth partner up, he couldn't help but scoff; didn't she know him at all?

Not only partner up, but with a 'forensic anthropologist'. Yeah, the credential sounded good, but what did some science nerd know about murderers and their ways. Nothing.

Just as Camille was about to head back into the elevator, Booth changed his mind.

He'd promised Mrs Arrington that he's do everything in his power to find something. Cam knew her stuff, and if she thought this forensic anthropologist would be able to help, maybe he should at least suss them out.

"Hey," Booth said quickly, blocking the elevator door with his hand. "What did you say that scientists name was?"

Smiling, Cam answered, "Temperance Brennan."

"Pardon?" Booth said, swearing he'd misheard her.

"Dr Temperance Brennan."

Once, you could pretend you'd just heard incorrectly, but twice? That couldn't be coincidence. How many Temperance Brennan's could there be in the US? He'd always thought the name Temperance was one of a kind, but maybe that wasn't so.

Either way, there was no way he could just pass this by.

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

Entering a university lecture on 'de-fleshing techniques' – a term which gave him chills – Booth froze as he took one step inside the door.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

It was her.

He would recognise her out of a crowd of hundreds. The shape of her face, the slight smile at the corner of her lips, the exact blue of her eyes. Everything.

Just as he'd remembered.

"Any questions?" she spoke out loud.

Her voice – just as soft and perfect as he'd remembered – was music to his ears. No amount of remembering could do her justice.

"Thankyou. See you next week." With that, the university students stood up and began to leave, as she started to pack up her things.

"Temperance Brennan," Booth stated, both in awe and shock.

"I'm sorry but this lecture is finished. You'll have to come along next week," she replied, not looking up.

"I'm not here for the lecture," Booth said, silently praying she remembered who he was, and that he hadn't wasted the last fifteen years pining over someone who didn't even remember him.

"Then why are you here?" she asked, taking down the projector screen, her back to him.

"Well, let me explain." Booth paused. "My name is Seeley Booth..."

Her entire body froze and she dropped the folder she'd been holding just a moment ago. She quickly picked it up and slowly turned to face him, her beautiful eyes meeting with his in the first time for over sixteen years.

"Booth?" she asked, her hands shaking slightly.

"The one and only," Booth smiled, and it was with that smile that Tempe knew this wasn't a prank or someone's lame idea of a joke, Seeley Booth was actually standing in front of her.

"You're here."

"I am," he said as she collided with him, her arms encircling his neck and her head burrowing into his shoulder.

Without hesitation, Tempe pulled his head down to hers and kissed him, not caring that there was a likely chance that he was married or seeing someone.

"I missed you," she cried, tears forming in her eyes. "When you stopped writing and I called Pops and he said you'd gone off to war, I thought – I thought I'd never see you again."

"Never. Like I said before you left, I'd make it my life mission to find you again. And I did, just like I promised."

_**(This is where the line break should be)**_

**THE END!**

**Thanks again for all your support and I'd absolutely love to hear you opinions on the end and the overall story. So please review and let me know what you thought.**

**Em xXxXxxx**


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